A New Fish In The Water
by joylesswonder52
Summary: Marie Roberts moves to Hollyoaks to start a new life. At 21, the world is her oyster....But everything is not what it seems as someone is brewing up a storm... Can Marie settle in or does she get more than she's bargained for? Love. Lies. Trust. Friends.
1. New Face, New Place

Chapter 1

New Face, New Place

Rating - T

The taxi pulled up outside The Dog In The Pond pub. Marie Roberts looked outside the window at her new destination. At 21, she was ready to spread her wings and fly away. Now she was looking at Hollyoaks Village and not knowing what to expect...

"Err...Are you sure this is Hollyoaks, Chester?" Marie asked, fiddling with one of her dark blonde pigtails.

"There's only one Hollyaoks Village, love!" laughed the large Taxi Driver.

He got out of his seat and headed to the boot of the car. He pulled out Marie's two pink suitcases and waited, tapping his foot. Marie opened the taxi door and steppedout. The sun was shining, gleaming on the buildings and houses. It looked like a nice village, but Marie wasn't so sure whether she had made the right move or night...

"Ah em..." said the Taxi Driver, clearing his throat

"Oh, sorry..." said Marie, dragging her suitcases over to the driver, "Whats the fare?"

"£32.50, love" smirked the Taxi Driver. Marie opened her handbag and reluctantly handed the cash over. The taxi driver counted the money, smugly, while Marie, £32.50 lighter, collected her suitcases and wheeled them along. She saw a free bench outside the pub, and grabbed it before anyone else could. As she sat down, she breathed a heavy sigh and watched as the taxi drove off away from the village.

"No going back now!" sighed Marie.

She opened her pink flower handbag and rummaged through its many compartments. At last, she pulled up the yellow Post-It note from the dark depths of her handbag. On the post it, was the address of Calvin Valentine - an old friend from school. Calvin and Marie had met up when they were in High School and had become mates ever since. Calvin had always liked Marie as more than a friend, but after a disasterous proposal from Calvin to be more than just 'good friends', they both decided just to be 'good mates'. When Clavin moved away, he promised to keep in touch with Marie and after a long phone-call, Calvin suggested to Marie that she come and live in Hollyoaks. Marie had recently decided to move away from the clutches of her neurotic parents, but with no roof under her head, she accepted Calvin's offer of a room. Marie agreed to pay some of the mortgage and to help around the house - it was the least she could do after the death of their mother...

Marie dusted her jeans off and stood up, rolling her suitcases with her. As Marie began to walk, she looked up at all the buildings: a shop called The Drive n' Buy, what looked like a nightclub called The Loft...

Suddenly Marie's phone rang. She stopped and started to rummage her handbag: if only to silence the embarassing ringtone her friends put on for her...

_'I will have to sort that out...' _thought Marie to herself. She looked at her phone. It was Calvin calling...

"Hello?" answered Marie, trying to pick up the contents of her handbag which she had now just dropped.

"Found your way here, yet?" laughed Calvin

"Yeah, the ripp-off Taxi driver just dropped me here...I'm pretty well lost though"

" Okay. Where are you now? Can you tell me the name of a shop or building you are close by to?"

Marie stood puzzled. "Errr...The Drive n' Buy?"

"Okay. You are nearly near the flat, just carry on walking until you get to a big wall. Don't go past it, otherwise you would have gone too far..."

Marie clutched her mobile phone as she tried to wheel the two suitcases. People in the street were starting to stare at her. _'Oh no... I'm the latest attraction...'_

Calvin's voice suddenly chirped from her phone. "Marie, are you still there?"

"Yeah, yeah...I'm still here. I'm come to a wall, now!"

Marie stood looking at a massive brick wall. She looked up at the mass of stairs she would have to get up...

"Oh. Fantastic." Marie sighed

"What was that?" Calvin answered

"Oh nothing! Sorry, not you...Just the locals think that the Circus has come to town looking at my two suitcases and me!" laughed Marie, parking her suitcases near the wall.

"Oh! Suitcases! I'll come down to help you with those! Bye!"

Marie put her phone away and waited patiently for Calvin to come out of one of the two flats. She unbuttoned her coat and tied it around her waist. The temperature outside was starting to rise and Marie could instantly feel the heat on her. She had really done it. She had moved away from her parents and started a new life. Now she was starting to regret whether Hollyoaks was the place to start her new life in...She could have gone anywhere. London. Bath. Birmingham. Rome. But why she had chosen Hollyoaks, Marie would never know...

Calvin came down the stairs and flashed a smile to Marie. He looked different...He looked taller, or maybe it was just the stairs... He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers - it was obvious he was in his police uniform. Marie looked down at herself. She wondered if she had changed... Right now though, she looked like a wondering gypsy woman...

"Hey!" Calvin called as he gave Marie a hug. Marie smiled. The hug was reassuring. It made her feel a little easier...

"I am so sorry about Diane..." Marie said as she came away from the hug. "Are you sure you still want me here? Won't I be in the way?"

"Nah, of course not!" Calvin said picking up one of her suitcases.

Marie picked up her other suticase and started to drag it up the steps. "Look, I won't be a burden. I will chip in with the mortgage, find a job and find a new-"

"Hey! Relax... Don't worry! I can trust you...its just my father who I don't trust. He keeps trying to come and stay again." said Calvin sullenly

"Oh. Look, I don't want to come in between of you and your father. I'll find another place if you like!"

"No no no...You're staying here" said Calvin triumphantly

"Thank-you, again!" smiled Marie

Calvin and Marie reached the flat and Calvin opened the door. Inside, the flat was perfect. In showhome condition. The walls looked freshly painted and the house had a nice feel to it. Photos of the family were neatly on a wooden cabinet. A modern kitchen was situated to the side of the room. Two sofas were organised neatly around the TV. A dining table was situated near the window, with four chairs around it. A set of stairs led up to the bedrooms and bathroom.

"Here it is...home" Calvin announced. Marie looked around. The house seemed like how Diane would have wanted it to be. Marie had met Diane many times as she went round to Calvin's house a lot when they were teenagers. Diane was always very friendly towards her and Marie often chatted to her. Marie always remembered how Diane always used to be in the garden: either gardening or just sitting outside, reading a book and she would always offer Marie something to eat or drink. Marie felt it hard to believe that she was gone...

Sonny came tearing down the stairs. He was wearing a 'Lakers' basketball vestop and had a heavy gold chain around his neck. He also wore baggy khaki trousers with a chain from the pocket and some white pristine-condition trainers. He was also wearing a beanie hat. He looked at Marie up and down. He stared at her as if she was a creature from the Amazon...

"Sonny, you remember Marie?" Calvin said staring at Sonny, hinting for him to say hello.

"Yo.." replied Sonny and went off to the kitchen.

Marie waved back at Sonny, putting on a smile.

Calvin rolled his eyes and followed Sonny. "Did you remember to tidy upstairs and hoover the floor?"

Sonny grabbed a carton of orange juice and shut the fridge door. "Duh...If you actually went up the stairs, you would see it is tidy, yea!" He poured himself a glass of orange juice and gulped it down in one.

"Stop cheeking me, Sonny!" hissed Calvin, quietly. Calvin turned around and smiled at Marie again. "I'll show you to your room..."

Marie heaved her suitcase off the floor and carefully made her way up the stairs and nearly collapsed as she pushed her suitcase up from the last step to the landing. The landing lead to six white doors, three on the left, three on the right.

"I'll give you the grand tour..." smiled Calvin. "The first door on the left is..." He opened the small door "...an airing cupboard, where all the towels and linen are kept"

He closed the door and moved to the next door. "The second door on the left is..." He opened the door and Marie saw a brightly coloured purple and cream room with music posters and pictures of flowers in frames...

"Sascha's room"

Marie took one last look of the room. It was neatly kept and had a big double bed in the middle with purple sheets on. On the bed, were an MP3 Player and a notebook. There were two little purple lamps on nightstands on each side of the bed. In the far corner, was a massive wardrobe.

Calvin closed the door and moved to the next room. "The last door on the left is..." He opened the door and inside was a room with so much clutter; it looked like someone had burgled into it. Boxed filled the room and endless posters filled every inch of wall in the room. The room was painted, but Marie couldn't make out what colour it was. There was a small double bed, which took up lots of the space. A stereo was still switched on and was blasting loud rap music. Calvin's eyes widened and he quickly shut the door, ashamed of the mess.

"Sonny's room..." Calvin said under his breath. He moved onto the right side. "Now, opposite Sonny's room..." He opened the white door, "Is my room..." The room was plain white and had a black iron double bed in the middle of the room. There were black curtains and in the far corner was a wooden wardrobe. Some photos of family were on the windowsill. It looked like nobody lived in there. Calvin closed the door and moved to the next door down. "Next to my room...is the bathroom. You have to get up early if you want to use the bathroom first...Sonny and Sascha take forever..."

The bathroom was painted a baby blue shade. The toilet and bath looked sparkling white... however the sink had two bottles of hair gel floating on top of the water. A razor was lying next to the tap and bits of hair seemed to cover the sink...

Calvin's face looked horrified when he saw the sink. "I'll have him for this!...SONNY!" Calvin shouted down the stairs. No answer. Calvin sighed and stood at the last door. "Last, but not least...Your room"

He opened the door to reveal a lovely silver and white room. It had freshly put on white sheets and little silver cushions on the bed. There was a little lamp on a silver nightstand and there was a fitted white double wardrobe. "You get the luxury of the only room with the fitted wardrobes..." Calvin smiled. Marie smiled at the room. It was perfect. She wheeled her two pink suitcases in and looked out the window. She was going to have to grow to like Hollyoaks.

"I'll leave you to get settled in..." Calvin said as he closed the door.

Marie sat down on the bed and sighed. At least now she had somewhere to stay... She sat up and opened her handbag. She pulled out a notebook and a pen. She started writing a list:

_'Things I have to do'_

_1. Get a Job!_

_2. Once you are earning, pay a quarter or at least half of the mortgage and utility bills_

_3. Start looking for any available flats - rent only_

_4. Join a gym_

_5. Find new friends_

Marie didn't do too badly in her GCSE's: She got 2 A's, 5 B's and 1 C. She didn't want to do A Levels - which her parents constantly nagged about and so she decided to go to college and train as a beauty therapist. After finishing college, she got a job in a salon for a while: but after the boss from hell, she decided to quit and move away. Now, here in Hollyoaks, Marie kept asking this question to herself: 'What now?'

After a sleep, Marie went downstairs to find Calvin cooking. Sonny had re-appeared and was playing a video game. Marie walked down the stairs and instantly, Sonny stopped and stared at her again. Marie looked down at herself, to see what Sonny was staring at. Calvin walked over to Sonny and gave him a small shove.

"Oww, man! What was that for!" moaned Sonny

"Get. Back. To. Your. Game. Now..." hissed Calvin. He turned at smiled at Marie. "How was your nap?"

"Useful..." smiled Marie

"I've got some pasta for tea...would you like to join us?"

"I already eaten..." Sonny interrupted

"Sonny! You knew I was cooking!" protested Calvin

"I had a burger and fries before I came home..." smirked Sonny

Calvin shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, would you like to join the three of us for dinner?"

"That would be great!" smiled Marie

"Make yourself at home..." said Calvin, going back to the kitchen.

Marie sat down on the cream armchair. Her phone vibrated in her jeans pocket and she quickly got her phone out. It was a text from her friend, Amy:

_'How's the new life in Hollyoaks? A xx'_

Marie couldn't be bothered to reply back. She sighed and stuffed her mobile back into her pocket. As soon as she did that, her phone rang. She quickly grabbed her phone - her mad friend Rudi had put 'The Cheeky Song - by the Cheeky Girls' as her ringtone - after a drunken karaoke night when she sang that song and fell off the stage, Rudi found it absolutely hilarious and secretly put it on her phone. Now, she couldn't work out how to change it... Sonny stared as she tried to shut up her phone. It was her mum calling...

"I'll call her later..." said Marie quietly, "Oh! For the record, I don't like The Cheeky Girls...just some mad mate put in on my phone..." Marie laughed nervously. Sonny raised one eyebrow at her and then turned back to his video game.

The front door opened and Sascha came in. Sascha was wearing jeans, a purple vest-top and a white shrug over the top. She was wearing white beads and white trainers.

"Heya! I'm home..." Sascha called out. She suddenly saw Marie and almost jumped. Calvin came out from the kitchen, wearing an apron.

"Oh! Sascha, this is Marie. You might remember her..." Calvin announced

"Hi Sascha" waved Marie

"Hi..." said Sascha meekly. She turned to face Sonny. "What's for tea?"

"Pasta. And where have you been?" Calvin asked inquisitively

"I went walking around the village...Is that ok?" Sascha said, raising her eyebrows to Calvin

"You should have rung me..." Calvin said sighing

"Sorry..." said Sascha quietly. Calvin potted back to the kitchen and started stirring something in the saucepan. Sascha gave a small smile to Marie and sat down on the sofa next to Sonny. She grabbed the remote control and pressed a button. It changed to a music channel.

"Oi! I was playing my game, idiot!" shouted Sonny and he pushed a few buttons and his car racing game came back on.

"Yeah! But you have been on it for ages, so its my turn now!" Sascha replied and grabbed the remote and put the music channel back on.

"Give it!" Sonny shouted and started to try to wrestle the remote control out of Sascha's arms.

"OWWW! GET OFF SONNY!" shouted Sascha, "YOU'RE ON MY HAIR!"

"GIVE ME THE DAMN CONTROL, WOMAN!" spat Sonny, climbing all over Sascha.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, NOW!" boomed Calvin and he pulled Sonny off Sascha "YOU'RE ACTING LIKE FIVE-YEAR OLDS! SONNY! LET SASCHA WATCH WHAT SHE WANTS NOW AND GO AND CLEAN THAT GOD-AWFUL MESS IN THE BATHROOM!"

Marie sat trembling in her chair. She had no idea how scary Calvin could be...

"GET OFF MY CLOTHES, MAN!" shouted Sonny, trying to wriggle out of Calvin's grip.

"GO! NOW, SONNY!" said Calvin, letting go of Sonny.

"Whatever, man!" yelled Sonny and boomed up the stairs. Then a door slammed shut. Sascha, looking scared, sat on the sofa and quietly watched her music channel. Calvin turned to face Marie, who was practically shaking now.

"I'm sorry you had to see that...Sonny can be a right moody bugger..." Calvin sighed

Marie nodded and gave a weak smile.

"Tea should be ready in fifteen minutes, okay?" Calvin asked

Marie nodded again, unable to speak of what she just saw. "I'll just go and freshen up..." Marie said, getting up. Calvin went back to his cooking. Marie made sure he had gone into the kitchen and practically ran up the stairs. She reached the landing and exhaled sharply. Loud bass music was coming from Sonny's door. Marie tip-toed to the bathroom and quickly locked the door. She looked at the bathroom. It was all neat and tidy. She looked at the sink. All the hair had disappeared and the razor and gel bottles had been put away. The sink looked whiter than white. Marie looked at herself in the mirror. Lots of boys like Marie because she was naturally pretty. She had her hair in loose pigtails. Her hair colour was quite unusual. It was not light brown, yet it wasn't quite so dark blonde (although she classed it as dark blonde) and it looked naturally sunkissed. Her skin colour was an olive-y colour when she went in the sun, but she looked pale today. Her face looked white as a sheet after witnessing Calvin's temper. Her eyes were dark blue. She had a good complexion - no spots or anything. She didn't need to wear much make-up - although she had a bit of mascara, blusher and lip gloss on today. She was wearing a pink Ted Baker top and jeans with a silver belt. She had ballet style pumps on today with flowers on. She moved closer to the mirror and sighed.

"What have I put myself into?" Marie said, whispering to herself.

"DINNER'S READY!" called Calvin from downstairs

Marie looked at herself again in the mirror and walked out of the bathroom. Her life in Hollyoaks was just being to unravel...

END OF CHAPTER 1

A/N: I hope you liked my first chapter on Hollyoaks - there are going to be lots of twists and turns, plus romance and an explosive ending! I would love to hear from you on what you though - so, please review! Grace xxx


	2. Disclaimer

DISLAIMER: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of the characters apart from any OCs.


	3. Settling In

Chapter 2

Settling In

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of the characters except OCs

Marie Roberts woke up in her room at the Valentine household in a groggy mood. She had just spent her first night at the Valentine's flat and was already regretting it... Her sleep was interrupted due to Sonny's loud music, Sonny banging around in his room and yet again, Sonny just making general racket. Marie groaned and tried to open her eyes. She looked at the time: 7:30 am. Marie rolled her eyes and decided to get up. She sat up on the bed and yawned. She found her pink fluffy slippers and hobbled over to the window. She opened the silver curtains and let the bright sunshine hit her eyes. She shielded her eyes and tried to get them used to the light. She felt her hair - she could already tell it was in knots. Marie sighed, rubbed her eyes and decided to make her way to the bathroom.

Marie walked across the landing as quietly as she could - trying not to wake anyone. She heard noises coming from downstairs...'_Probably Calvin making breakfast before he goes to work...Work...that's what I need' _Marie thought to herself. Suddenly, Sonny ran across from his bedroom - in his underwear - to the bathroom and locked himself in.

"Damn..." Marie sighed

Just then, Sascha erupted from her bedroom, with a wash-bag, a make-up bag and a set of straightners in her hands and ran straight to the bathroom door. She fiddled with the bathroom doorknob and exhaled sharply. Then she started to bang on the door.

"SONNY! GET THE HELL OUT OF THE BATHROOM! _I _NEED IT!" shouted Sascha, banging on the door.

"Nah, man! I'm in here!" shouted Sonny, "You shuda got up earlier, ya lazy woman!"

At that point, Sascha banged on the door even harder.

"SONNY!" Sascha shouted again..

Marie shuffled back into her room and flopped back onto the bed. _'If the wait for the bathroom is going to be this long, I'd better find a flat A.S.A.P...'_

She slipped on her dressing gown and gave one last yawn. She left her bedroom again to find Sascha and Sonny still arguing about the bathroom. Marie shook her head and clopped down the stairs. At the table, Calvin was all dressed and ready for work, eating cereal. He flashed Marie a smile and waved. The smell of washing powder filled the air. She looked at the dining table. Three bowls and spoons were all laid neatly on the table. She felt like Goldilocks, invading the Three Bear's House...

"Morning!" smiled Calvin, a mouth full of cornflakes

"Morning..." yawned Marie, sitting down on the chair. She poured milk into her bowl and she gabbed the cereal.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Calvin

"Mmmm...like a baby!" said Marie, lying through her teeth, "You're right about the bathroom feud..."

"Oh, I know. Its like carnage every morning..."

Marie let out a giggle and took a mouthful of cereal. "So, is there any newspaper or something that I could look up 'Job's in?"

"Not today. You'll just have to ask around...But there is a beauty salon in the village...Evissa, I think its called"

"Evissa? Where is it?"

Calvin shook his head." That I don't know...But you can ask someone in town - they are usually quite friendly."

Marie grumbled into her cereal.

"Don't worry! They won't bite..." Calvin gave a reassuring smile. He go up off his chair and put his jacket on. "I better go to work"

Marie looked up at Calvin. _'God...I should have taken up his offer of a date..."_

"I'll see you later. Ignore Sonny if he gives you any stick. Sascha can be nice. Call me if you have any problems. Bye". He raced to the door and left.

Marie flopped her head onto the table and sighed. "Great. Time to explore the village". She got up off her chair and made her way up the stairs...

_**Later that morning...**_

Marie looked herself in the mirror one more time. She had put her hair in a bun, with a few loose strands. She was wearing a white shirt with a bit of pattern on the hem and some black trousers. She put on her black high heels and analysed her choice.

"Well, at least I don't look like some gypsy woman anymore..." smiled Marie in the mirror.

She checked her make-up again. _'Mascara...check, Blusher...check, Lip gloss...check!'_

"Okay. Time to hit the streets"

She grabbed her black handbag and made sure she had everything. She looked at herself again. Satisfied, she left her room. She was on the landing again. The bathroom situation had finished and both teenagers were in their rooms. She walked carefully down the stairs, trying not to fall. She grabbed her water bottle, took one sip and left the house. She shut the door and looked at the stairs: her next challenge.

_'Why did I wear these shoes?' _thought Marie to herself.

She grabbed the edge of the wall and started to walk down slowly. _'Down...down. down...down...'_

She reached the last step and smiled. She looked at where she was. She saw the 'Washed-up Launderette', 'Drive n' Buy' and 'Il Gnosh'.

"Where on earth now?" Marie asked herself. People were everywhere in the street. Marie looked at some of the people. _'I can't ask strangers...'_

Marie looked at the three shops. _'Which one shall I go to?' 'Stop being silly! Just pick one!'_

She looked at the Drive n' Buy and walked straight towards it. She got to the entrance of the shop and pushed the door. She looked around at all the neat stacked shelves. They were all kinds of cereals in front of her. She looked at the counter. Above the counter, were old fashioned sweet-jars and an endless number of bottles of alcohol. She rang the bell on the counter. No reply. She rang it again. No reply. Suddenly from the other end of the shop, a young man came out of the 'Private' door. The young man was wearing jeans and a navy t-shirt. He had kind of longish hair and looked like the 'ladies man' type. He flashed a smile to Marie before looking her up and down. Marie gave a small smile. He got behind the counter and gave a cheeky grin:

"Gilly's the name, how can I help you? I don't believe we've met before?" He offered her his hand.

Marie looked at his hand and shook it. "Hi...Umm, I'm new to the area and I was wondering if you knew where a place called Evissa is? The beauty salon?"

"What's your name?"

_'Oh great. Just what I need. Personal Interrogation' _She looked up at Gilly. "Marie."

"Marie...nice name! Umm...Evissa...Heard of it, but never been though." He checked Marie out.

"Oh...okay. Thank-you anyway. Bye."

"Come back soon!" smiled Gilly

Marie gave another small smile before turning around to leave the shop. She felt someone staring at her. She quickly pushed the door and went back on the street.

She looked at Il Gnosh. _'Lets see if they are any better at directions' _. She walked towards the restaurant. People were sitting outside on silver chairs, drinking coffee. _'Nice place..' _thought Marie. She walked towards the door and pulled it open. Inside, it was a modern place with coloured glass behind the bar. It looked really nice. Flowers were in pots on table and the chairs were in funky shapes. The restaurant was quite busy, seeing it was about 10:00 in the morning. A waitress came out, sieving coffee to a table. Marie liked the uniform: black shirt and coloured tie. She noticed a man behind the bar with brown hair and brown eyes. She walked up to the bar, trying not to slip on the floor. He smiled and put his hands together.

"Hi there! What can I get you?" smiled the man.

"Hi. I'm Marie and I'm new to the area. I need to find out where a place called Evissa is. I've tried asking a man called Gilly next door, but he was more interested at staring at me...So far, Evissa seems like the Loch Ness monster to me...Do _you _know where it is?"

The man smiled. "I'm Tony, owner of Il Gnosh. Evissa, the beauty salon?"

Marie nodded. "Yes! I need a job..."

"What are you trained in?" asked Tony, intrigued

Marie sighed. "Well...I trained in College to be a Beauty Therapist...but I have no job. I just moved to the area".

Tony leaned forward towards Marie."The owner of Evissa is called Louise. She's nice. She'll help you out...but if she doesn't have a job for you, you can always work here! You can be trained.."

"Thanks!" smiled Marie.

"Evissa is somewhere around by the SU Bar...Where do you live at the moment?"

"I'm with the Valentines at the moment..."

Tony smiled. "Right, just go past the wall up to the steps to the flats and turn right. Its just down there."

"Oh, thank-you! Thank-you!" grinned Marie

"Look, the job offer's still available if you don't get the job...Come back here when you've got the news. Ask for Tony Hutchinson." said Tony

"Thanks, Tony!" said Marie and she walked away from the bar: her faith in the locals had been restored... She walked out of Il Gnosh and walked back onto the street. The temperature outside was getting colder and Marie felt a bitter sting across her cheek. She looked up at the steps up to the Valentine's flat and saw Sonny walking down them. He was wearing baggy jeans and a Ted Baker hoodie. He saw Marie and gave her a blank look. He then walked off, swaggering into an alleyway. Marie watched as he went away and then carried on in search for Evissa...

Marie stopped walking and looked up. She had made it to her destination. There it was...Evissa. The inside of the salon looked modern and professional. Marie peered through the window. She saw a women with blonde curly hair talking to a customer. It looked like she was finishing a manicure...

A woman with long brown hair was at the desk, looking through a book. Marie walked up to the door and pulled it open. The salon lights shone brightly on her and she was the woman with the blonde hair stare at her. The woman at the desk however, was still staring down at her book. Marie secured her bag firmly on her shoulder and walked up to the counter.

Marie smiled at the woman who she guessed was the owner. "Hi I'm Ma-"

"Sorry. No free appointments today, were all booked up..." sighed the woman, still looking down at the book.

"Umm...I'm not here for an appointment, thanks. I'm here to see if you're hiring at all..." Marie pulled her handbag strap up onto her shoulder.

"Oh." said the woman. She finally looked up from her book and stared at Marie, looking her up and down. "What is your name?"

"Marie. Roberts." smiled Marie, nervously. She looked down at herself, checking her image.

The woman gave a weak smile to Marie. Marie looked at the woman's eyes. They looked lost...dazed, as if a piece of her had disappeared.

"I'm Louise. Owner of Evissa. Well, we do have a part-time space available...What type of Qualifications do you have?"

Marie unzipped her handbag and pulled out her CV, neatly folded. She handed it over to Louise. Louise scanned the paper.

"I trained in College as a Beauty Therapist and had one previous job before..."

Louise looked up at Marie. "Do you want to follow me into my office?" She got up off her chair and walked out of the main salon area. Marie followed suit and walked over to Louise, who was now unlocking the door to the office. The door swung open and inside. The office was neatly kept, with a filing cabinet in the corner and a plant in the corner. Behind the desk, a man was sitting down. He had short brown hair and was wearing a green polo shirt and trousers. He gave a weird smile to Louise. Louise rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply.

"Warren..." said Louise, through her teeth, "I have a potential employee here..."

Warren got up off his chair and walked towards Marie. The scent of Warren's aftershave was making Marie feel sick...

"Well well well..." smirked Warren, "Who's the girl?" pointing to Marie.

"This is Marie Roberts. She's a qualified Beauty Therapist. Marie, this is Warren Fox. Warren

is a business associate of Evissa".

Warren offered his hand to Marie. Marie placed her hand in his and he shook it firmly. "Co-owner, Louise. I am the Co-owner of Evissa" corrected Warren. Louise looked put-out by his remark. Warren stood looking at Marie, with a smug look on his face.

"I best leave. Someone is giving me evil looks, right Louise?" winked Warren.

Louise rolled her eyes and opened the door for Warren to leave. She didn't look at Warren as he passed, just looked down at her shoes. Marie watched as Warren left. There was something about him that sent shivers down Marie's spine...

Louise walked over to the desk and sat down. She cleared some papers off the desk and moved them into a draw. "Please, sit down" said Louise, pointing to the chair on the other side of the desk.

Marie walked to the chair and sat down. Louise studied Marie's CV again and looked up at her.

"Well, I must say Marie, this is a good CV you got here..." smiled Louise

_'She's gonna do the 'but' question.' _thought Marie. _'Wait for it...'_

"But may I ask something?" said Louise, staring at her CV.

_'Bingo!'_

Marie nodded, smiling.

"Why did you leave your old job?" asked Louise, leaning forward on the desk.

Marie felt her face get hotter. "Umm...Well, to be truthful, the pay wasn't great and the Boss wasn't very friendly towards staff..."

"I see." nodded Louise, "Well, how about this? My employee Frankie has given up her job to run her pub full-time and she probably won't be coming back to her job. We could do with another trained Beautician here...

I'm giving you three days trial. If you do well in the three days, then you get to keep the job permanently. How does that sound?"

Marie felt her face glow with joy, "Err. That'll be fantastic!"

Louise smiled. "Can you start today?"

"Sure. No problem!" grinned Marie.

"Great. I'll get you a uniform and then I'll introduce you to our main Beautician, Sophie". Louise walked out of the office door and left it ajar. Marie smiled to herself. She wanted to just call everyone she knew, right there and then and let her joy overcome her...

Louise returned to the small office with two white pinafores and two pairs of trousers. She handed over the uniforms to Marie.

"I didn't know what size you wanted, but we only have small or medium I'm afraid..."

Marie smiled and placed the two uniforms one at a time against her body to see which one looked best. She was 5"6, but had a tiny waist. The medium seemed to drown her.

"The small size is fine, thanks!" smiled Marie

Louise nodded. "Good. Now follow me and we can go and meet Sophie!"

The two woman walked out of the office which Louise locked behind her. They walked into the main salon area to see the blonde woman, sitting reading a magazine...

Louise took Marie's hand and lead her over to Sophie. Sophie closed her magazine and looked up at Louise.

"Everything okay?" asked Sophie, looking up at Louise.

"Sophie, this is Marie Roberts. Marie is a trained Beauty Therapist, like you and will be taking Frankie's place. Marie, this is Sophie Burton. Head Beautician."

Sophie nodded in Marie's direction. "Hi.." she said, weakly.

"Hello." said Marie, looking at Sophie down on her chair.

Louise turned to face Marie. "Now, the toilets are just by the office, so you can get changed into your uniform. Also, you will be working with Sophie's sister, Mel. She mainly does the admin work, answering telephones and stuff. She will be in tomorrow, so you can see her then... After you've got changed, Sophie will show you the ropes. Okay?"

Marie nodded and smiled.

"If you need the medium sized uniform, then give me a shout." added Louise.

"Thank-you so much!" said Marie, brightly

Louise smiled at Marie. "Happy to help"

**_Later that day..._**

"Marie?" said Sophie, staring at Marie.

Marie was sat in her new uniform at the nail bar. She was fiddling around with the nail polish, arranging them into colour and size order...

"Ummm..." mumbled Marie, glancing at the cerise nail polish.

"Louise has just popped out to sort some business out, so do you want to go and pick up the lunch order at Il Gnosh, while its quiet?"

Marie stared at the beautifully neat nail bar which she had just arranged. She hadn't had one customer today, but she had sort of expected it. In the time of all the appointments, she had read through a copy of _Heat _magazine, made tea for Louise and Sophie, swept the floor, cleaned the surfaces, put new stock on the shelves and sorted out the nail bar. She was feeling very, very bored...

"Err..yeah sure. Is it Louise's name placed for the lunch order?"

"Yeah, it is. We didn't expect you today, so you will have to get your lunch separately. Sorry..."

_'Great. Another adventure into the town...' _thought Marie. "Don't worry, its fine..."

Sophie smiled. "Thanks! You're a star!"

Marie finally got up off her stool which she had been sitting on for an hour. She picked up her handbag and checked her phone.

_'Any messages of congratulations?...Salutations? Good luck messages?'_

She pushed a few buttons on her phone.

_'You have no new messages'_

Marie sighed and placed her handbag over her shoulders. She walked towards the door. She turned back to see Sophie waving at her. Marie waved slowly and pushed the door to get out.

She started to walk away from Evissa and towards the main strip of shops.

_'At least you have a job now...Hooray! Now you can sit around feeling bored all day...I hope tomorrow isn't like this. I'm sure I will get some customers tomorrow wonder how Calvin is? God, he looked really good in his uniform...STOP IT MARIE! He is just a friend, that's all! I mean for Christ's sake, he has only recently lost his mother!'_

Marie looked at where she was. Nearly near the shops...

_'No, Marie. You are just attracted to Calvin. Nothing more..._

_What am I gonna get for lunch now? At least getting the lunch gives me an excuse to go and tell Tony the news about the job...At least I know a few faces now. Louise. Sophie. Well, three's better than one...'_

Marie was now at the door of Il Gnosh. She pulled the door open to see that the restaurant was even more busier than the first time she came in. She looked at the bar. No Tony. She looked to see if he was serving outside. No Tony. Marie sighed and tried to see if she could spot a waiter or waitress...Nothing. Marie walked up to the bar and peered around to see if anyone was going to come out. Out from the kitchens popped out a man with light-ish brown hair. Marie stared at him coming towards the bar. He had the same face as Tony, but he looked slightly different. He opened the hatch to the bar and leaned towards Maire.

"Err...Are you...Tony Hutchinson?"

The man gave a small laugh. "Close. I'm his brother, Dom. Tony has just gone out at the moment. Can I help you at all?"

"Sorry..." grimaced Marie, "I'll catch him later, but I have come to pick up an order from Louise at Evissa?"

"I'll go and get it" nodded Dom.

_'How embarrassing...Why couldn't I tell it wasn't Tony?"_

Dom reappeared with a paper bag full of food and two coffees.

"Here you are. Lunch order for Evissa."

"Thanks!" said Marie, trying to balance the two cups of coffee.

"Do you need any help?" asked Dom, staring at Marie struggling.

"No, I'm fine thanks. I'll think I'll survive!" laughed Marie.

Marie headed for the door, dodging some tables, while carrying the lunch in one hand and two cups of coffee in another.

_'Task for today completed. Now, back to read the Ok! Magazine...I hope Sophie hasn't nic-_

Marie didn't see where she was going and bumped into a man with a plate in his hand. Marie slipped and fell on her knees, dropping the lunch bag and her handbag. Luckily, the coffee cups were tightly secured in their little tray, which was being tightly gripped on by Marie. Her handbag however, had decided to make a bid for freedom and all the contents of her handbag spilled onto the floor.

_'Oh...crap...'_

Marie felt her face go red as people stared at her...

"I am so sorry! Are you okay? I wasn't looking where I was going!" said a man's voice.

Marie looked up. The man she had bumped into was a waiter. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He was smiling at her, apologetically and was wearing a black shirt with an orange tie. The plate which he was carrying was now safe on a table.

"I'm...okay. thanks...No, I'm sorry, its my fault completely! I was too busy in my own little world and lost my general common sense!" laughed Marie, nervously while frantically picking up the contents of her handbag.

"Here, let me help." said the man, getting down on his knees and helping her pick things up.

"Thanks..." smiled Marie. She quickly stuffed her tampons into her handbag, before he could see them. He passed her water bottle into her hand. Luckily, it hadn't suffered from the fall. She quickly stuffed her things into her bag. Strips of wrapped chewing gum, a pen, Post-It notes, her purse, a loose Tesco Clubcard, some Paracetemol and a fluffy bunny key ring...

"Is this yours too?" said the man, holding up the lunch bag. It didn't look too badly squashed...

"Thanks. I hope Louise and Sophie don't mind flattened sandwiches..." said Marie, feeling embarrassed.

The man stared at her." You work at Evissa? You look new...I mean, have you just moved here?"

"Yeah. I'm staying with a friend. For now..."

The man smiled. "I'm O.B"

"Hi, I'm Marie" said Marie, zipping up her handbag. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?"

O.B smiled. "No, I'm fine, honestly." He stood up and offered his hand to Marie. He pulled her up off the floor. Marie checked the floor, making sure no embarrassing items where still left on the floor...

"Well, I'll hope to see you around, Marie..." said O.B, looking at Marie up and down, smiling.

"Me too, yeah. Thanks again, O.B...Bye!" said Marie grabbing her stuff, trying to make an exit swiftly.

"See you around! Bye!" called O.B as Marie left the restaurant.

Marie pushed the door open and covered her face with her hands with embarrassment.

_'I'm always gonna be the girl who fell over in Il Gnosh...'_

**_That Evening..._**

Marie was now back at Evissa after surviving the humiliation of her fall. She sat at the desk, looking at the clock, counting down how long she had left. Sophie was dealing with a customer, while Marie was meant to be observing, but was half-way reading an article about Big Brother's Glynn. Marie fiddled with her hair, while putting a Tic-Tac in her mouth. She watched as Sophie talked over the different products to quite a posh woman with a stern-looking face. The woman didn't look the type that would have manicures and pedicures, but Marie knew that people were always full of surprises. Louise emerged from the office, walking towards Marie. Marie shoved the magazine to one side and pretended to look busy...

"How has your first day been?" asked Louise, looking at Marie for an answer.

Marie nodded, putting her best smile on." It has been good, yeah! Sophie has been very helpful...The salon is lovely!"

"Good! Well, don't worry, you will get a customer tomorrow. I'm going give half of tomorrow's appointments to you...Can you handle it?"

"Of course! I am always up for a challenge..." said Marie, brightly

"I like to hear that!" said Louise, looking at her watch. "Well, its only fifteen minutes till we close the salon, but I think we can leave Sophie to lock up today. Do you want to go for a drink at the pub, as a kind of celebratory thing for your first trial here?"

"That sounds great!" smiled Marie, "I could do with a drink..."

"Me too!" laughed Louise, "People have been calling for Warren all day and I am getting sick and tired of dealing with them. God knows where he's gone off to!"

"Soph?" called Louise

Sophie looked at Louise eagerly.

"We're going to The Dog for a drink. Do you wanna lock up and then meet us there?"

"Oh. I can lock up, but Russ is taking me out to Dinner tonight, so I won't be able to make it. Sorry!" said Sophie, apologetically.

"Ooh! Lucky you! Have fun and give me a call when you need to!" said Louise, closing down the desk computer.

"I will. Enjoy yourselevs. Bye, Marie! Bye Louise!"

"Bye Sophie!" said Marie, waving as she went out of the door.

Marie sat in the Dog, admiring the pub and checking out the locals. Monday night's at the Dog seemed busy - and it wasn't even Kareoke Night. A young blonde woman was singing to herself while serving drinks. Marie looked at the people at the tables, seeing if she could spot anyone she had met today. Outside, it was still light and the breeze gentily blew through the windows, making the pub quite airy. Louise carried the drinks over to the table.

"Here you are: White wine for you and another for me..." said Louise, placing the drinks on the table.

"Thanks. I'll get the next round in!" said Marie, taking a sip of her drink.

"Don't worry about!" said Louise, sitting down. "So, it seems like you've really enjoyed yourself today!"

Marie nodded, "Yeah, its been great! Although my fall in Il Gnosh wasn't quite how I planned to make my first impression to the village..."

Louise laughed. "Don't worry. I sometimes do stupid things...Well, I have done stupid things in the past..." Louise's face had turned sombre now and she quickly took a huge gulp of her drink...

Marie looked around at the tables inside. At one of the tables, two men were sitting together and drinking beer. One of them, however was staring at her. Marie couldn't see them clearly as they were at the very back, but it looked like they were wearing Il Gnosh uniforms. Marie had the image of the uniforms placed in her mind. The man staring at her gave her a wave. Marie couldn't work out who it was, but gave a wave to him back. Suddenly, the man got up off his stool and started to make his way down to the front of the bar. The other man began to follow. They were both coming towards the table. Nerves were beginning to kick and Marie grabbed her drink and necked most of it down. Then she made out who the man was...it was O.B.

"You all right there, ladies?" asked O.B.

"Hi O.B." waved Louise, "Hi Dom"

Dom came up towards the table and smiled. Marie felt like the room was getting smaller.

"Hi. Look, I am really sorry about what happened earlier! I feel like an idiot!" sighed Marie.

"Hey, don't worry! Things happen!" laughed O.B. "Speaking of which..."

He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it over to Marie. It was her mobile phone.

"I found it under one of the tables just after you left..."

"I knew I left something behind! Thank-you, again!" laughed Marie. "Do you both want to join us? I mean, if that is okay with you, Louise?"

Louise shook her head." No problem at all! The more, the merrier!"

"Yeah! That sounds great!" said O.B. sitting down. Dom was still standing up. He was staring at a girl with frizzy hair and glasses. She had just entered the pub and was looking around for someone.

"Thanks for the offer, but no can do...I'm meeting a girl here!" Dom smiled. He walked over towards the doorway area. "Tina!" he called, disappearing from sight.

"What can I get all of you?" asked Marie, reaching for her handbag.

"I'm fine at the moment..." smiled Louise

"Nah, I'm okay" said O.B., looking up at Marie,

"Are you sure? It'll be my treat. A sort of way of saying Thanks!" said Marie, looking at O.B.

"If you insist!" smiled O.B. "I'll have a beer"

"One beer, it is!" said Marie, going off towards the bar...

_'He seems really nice...Good-looking, polite, sweet...Stop it! You've only just met him! He could have a girlfriend! ...' _Marie thought to herself.

Marie returned with a beer and another glass of wine in hand. She handed it over to him, who smiled back at her.

"Thanks!" said O.B, putting the beer to one side.

Louise picked up her ringing phone. "I'm so sorry Marie! I just realised I was meant to meet with Warren to discuss finances! I'll see you tomorrow, nine in the morning? Okay, bye!"

" Bye Louise!" said Marie, "Thanks for the drink!"

O.B. moved further towards Marie. "So, Marie, what has brought you to the village?.."

Marie took another sip of her drink. "Well, mostly because I was sick of being with my parents and because I had the Boss from Hell...so, when my friend Calvin, offered me a spare room, then I jumped to it!"

"Calvin Valentine?" asked O.B.

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

"I've heard of him - never really got the chance to speak to him though..."

Marie nodded. "I just feel so awful for him right now..."

A silence lasted for about a minute or so. Marie thought more about Diane and more memories of her...

"So, does your boyfriend like you living in Hollyoaks?" O.B asked, grinning.

Marie raised her eyebrow and laughed. "What makes you think I have a boyfriend?"

"Pure guess!" said O.B., leaning forward to Marie.

Marie laughed. "No...I broke up with my boyfriend six months before I moved..."

"Ah, The Lonely Singleton...moving to a strange new village..." laughed O.B. jokingly into his beer.

"I'm not lonely!" laughed Marie, "How about you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nah, no girlfriend in the scene for me..."

" I see. Where do you live then?"

"I live with Tony and Dom. A bit of a bachelor pad!" laughed O.B.

Marie put down her drink." Sounds nice!"

"Yeah. Although, I would love my own flat..."

"Me too! Not that I don't like Calvin or anything, but the queue to the bathroom is horrendous in the mornings!"

O.B. laughed, "Tony's the worst - he spends ages doing his hair in the mirror to make him look like David Hasslehoff!"

They both laughed together. O.B. then looked into Marie's eyes and she did the same to him...

Marie looked at her watch. "I didn't realise it was getting quite so late!"

"Time flies when you're having fun..." O.B. then leaned closer to Marie. "I've had a great time..."Are you busy this Friday night?"

Marie shook her head. "No...I haven't got anything planned..."

"We could go out then, get to know each other a little better?"

"Yeah sure!" said Marie, grabbing a pen from her handbag. She scribbled down her number on a Post-it for him.

"Here's my number" he said and he wrote his on a spare napkin. They exchanged numbers and smiled at each other.

"Friday it is then!" grinned O.B. "I'll call you tomorrow!"

"Okay! Nice to see you, O.B."

"And you, Marie...Bye!" said O.B., watching as Marie left the pub.

_'Perhaps Hollyoaks isn't so bad after all..."_

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

A:N/ Hope you liked it! Please review xxxxxxxxxxxx


	4. Going Out

Chapter 3

Going Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters, except OCs

_**Thursday 7th September**_

It was Day 3 of Marie's first week in Hollyoaks. The air in Hollyoaks was cooler and the kids of Hollyoaks Comprehensive were back at school. And Marie's full first day trial at Evissa was just about to begin...

_**8:35 am**_

Marie was sitting down at the dining table, chewing on some marmalade toast. She was the only one at the table as Calvin had left for work already. Two bowls sat opposite from where Marie was sitting, waiting for the two teenagers to come down for breakfast. Marie poured more coffee into her mug and sat smiling to herself. She had managed to beat Sonny to the bathroom just in time...

Just then, Sonny and Sasha came clomping down the stairs. The pair were both dressed in their new uniforms and neither of them looked pleased to be going to school. Sonny had customised his uniform by wearing his tie loose and by having half of his shirt hanging out of his trousers. Meanwhile, Sasha looked pristine in her uniform, with her hair straightened and freshly applied make-up. Sonny clabbered down the last set of steps and barged over to the table. He stared at Marie coldly and grabbed a piece of toast. He shoved most of it into his mouth before grabbing his bag.

_'I hope he's not like this because I got to the bathroom first...' _thought Marie, sipping her coffee.

"Sonny, where are you going?" asked Sasha, sitting down at the table, "I thought we would both go into school together?"

"I'm meeting Justin before _I _go to school." replied Sonny moodily. "See ya later." He adjusted the bag over his shoulder and walked out of the door, shutting it with a bang.

Sasha sighed heavily. She poured some milk onto her cereal and took a sip of her orange juice. She looked up to face Marie. "Ignore Sonny. He just needs to get to know you...Anyway, Calvin told me that you got a job at the beauty salon?"

Marie nodded as she gulped some more coffee down. "Yeah, well, its just a trial period at the moment, but if it goes well, then I get a job".

"I see...You're lucky. You don't have to go to school...Anyway, good luck with your trial." said Sasha, staring at her cereal.

Marie looked at her watch and decided to get her stuff ready. She was dressed in her uniform, ready to go. She stood up and pushed her chair in. She thought about Sasha's sincerity...

"Sasha?" said Marie, as she grabbed her handbag.

Sasha turned to face Marie, putting her glass down on the table.

"Have a good day at school, yeah?" smiled Marie.

Sasha smiled. "Thanks! That means a lot to me..."

Marie grabbed her jacket. "See you later. Bye!"

Sasha waved as she took another mouthful of cereal.

Marie shut the door behind her. She felt the cool breeze around her, as she walked down the stairs. Autumn leaves were starting to collect on the floor as Marie stepped through them. The village was starting to get busy and Marie noticed the mass of school kids gathering outside Drive n' Buy, buying snacks on the way to school. She walked down past the steps and walked down to Evissa...

_'Wow! Sasha actually talked to me! I really thought that she wouldn't really interact with me...but she has! Now all I have to do is get on the right side with Sonny...I best look for flats soon before I over-stay my welcome...I hope Calvin's alright as he left in a hurry this morning...' _

She made her way to the entrance of Evissa and found Louise standing at the entrance of Evissa, unlocking the door. She was wearing a brown skirt with a beige top and shrug. She turned around and smiled at Marie.

"Oh! Hi! You're the first one here! Just trying to unlock this stupid door..." said Louise, fiddling with the door. The door opened to reveal the dark salon. Louise switched on the lights and the place brightened up instantly. Louise walked over to the desk and opened up the appointments book. She flicked through several pages and nodded.

"Right, now I'm giving you some of the appointments today...So, your first appointment is Miss Kelly Harper and she is booked in for a manicure at 9:30. Then we'll see how you go. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine!" nodded Marie, excited at the prospect of having her first customer.

"Where are Sophie and Mel?" asked Louise, looking at her watch. "Oh, well. I'll just be in the office if you need me. Stay by the phone incase it rings and give me a shout if Sophie and Mel turn up!"

"No problem!" said Marie, brightly.

Louise walked off into the back of the salon. Marie sat herself down at the desk and spun round on the desk chair. She looked at the big clock on the wall. 9:10 am. Marie opened up the appointments book and looked through the appointments for that day. Louise had split half the customers down and she had written either 'Sophie' or 'Marie' next to the appointment. Marie's eyes widened as she saw that she had at least ten customers all to herself. She would have to do 3 manicures, 2 pedicures, 1 massage, 1 make-up session, 1 paint-and-shape, 1 eyebrow shape and 1 half leg wax...

Marie shut the book._ 'At least I didn't get stuck with the bikini waxes...'_

She looked out of the window. In the distance, she could see Sophie and who she made out to be Mel walking towards the salon. Marie instantly made the connection that they were twins. They looked like they were disputing over something as they were talking quite loudly. Marie got up off the chair and stood up. Sophie pushed the door open.

"Look! You promised me you wouldn't do that anymore!" said Mel, in a high tone of voice.

"What! Me letting _you _down! It was a mistake! I -

Sophie and Mel both turned around to face Marie.

"Hi..." said Sophie, quietly. She looked slightly embarrassed. "This is my sister, Mel"

"Hi." said Mel, nervously

Louise walked back into the salon and looked straight at Mel and Sophie.

"Where have you been? You were nearly ready to go when I left the flat!" sighed Louise, heavily.

"We were doing some serious talking, right Sophie?" said Mel, glaring at Sophie.

"Look, it doesn't matter what you were doing. Sophie, you have Mrs. Walker at 9:45 for a facial. Mel, I need to you to phone and order some more products. Marie, your first appointment should be here any minute.." said Louise, as a look of stress slowly crept up on her. "Oh! And Marie, this is Mel. Mel, this is Marie"

Mel and Marie nodded at each other.

Louise took a deep breath." Okay, we have an extremely busy day, so let's get everything going!"

A blonde business woman in her twenties walked through the door. She looked like she was made of money. She walked over to the desk where Mel had quickly sat herself down.

Marie started to fiddle with her hair._' I bet she's my first customer...Oh god, I hope the atmosphere in the salon isn't going to be like this all day! Louise is stressed out, Sophie and Mel seem to be having an argument of some sort and this woman looks the type that usually go on and on about their high-powered careers! Lord, save me...'_

"...Ah yes! Kelly Harper, 9:30" said Mel, cheerfully "You will be with our new beautician, Marie today"

_'Yay...'_

"Okay, were all ready for you, Miss Harper. If you'd like to go over to the nail bar..." smiled Mel.

'_No! I'm not ready! I'm not ready!'_

"Are _you _the new beautician, Marie?" asked Miss Harper, staring at Marie.

"Yes, I am, Miss Harper. I will be doing your manicure today. If you'd like to take a seat at the nail bar..." smiled Marie, offering the chair to the woman.

"Thank-you."

"One moment, please!" said Marie.

Marie ran over to the store cupboard and hastily grabbed the stuff she needed.

_'Okay! Clear nail polish, emery board, white nail polish...Nail bath! Where is it?'_

She grabbed the grey container and closed the stock room cupboard and hurried to the sink.

_'Right, cold water...Fill it up...Soap...Where's the soap?' _

Marie scanned the counter for the special nail soak. Slowly, the water in the nail bath began to rise and rise and rise...

_'A-ha! Here it is! Nail Soak! Now, put it in the - OH NO!'_

The water from the nail bath was overflowing and filling up the small sink. Marie turned off the tap and quickly poured most of the water down the drain. She squirted the clear liquid into the bath until it became full of soap bubbles. She grabbed the grey flannel and walked over to Miss Harper, who was beginning to look impatient...

_'Slowly...slowly...Don't spill a drop...'_

"I'm so sorry for the delay!" said Marie, apologetically. She sat down on her stool as Miss Harper placed her hand firmly down on the table.

Miss Harper looked straight on at Marie. "I want a full manicure. The Works! My nails need a good treat nowadays, as I am having _such _a hard time at work! You wouldn't _believe _the amount of pressure my job contains. See, I'm a lawyer and every few days, I am in court and I..."

Marie nodded sympathetically, trying to keep track of what Miss Harper was saying.

"...and Judge Tyler never misses a single word you say..."

Marie looked out of the window. The sky was full of grey clouds and looked like it was going to rain. She turned back to face Miss Harper who was still talking. Marie filled the woman's nails, carefully, not missing a single edge.

_'This is going to be a long day...' _sighed Marie to herself, _'At least they won't be all like this, I hope... '_

_**At Lunchtime...**_

The door of Evissa opened and Marie stood outside and exhaled. She put her hands in her head and sighed.

_'Just my luck to get the lippy ones for customers! I've already had half of them and they've all been just as bad...They've all been moaning about their problems all morning long...Its not like they've even got real problems to talk about! God knows what Louise thinks of me...Or Sophie and Mel...I'm just some clumsy idiot who keeps bumping into people, or knocking things down!'_

At that point, Marie heard a muffled noise coming from somewhere. She looked around her, but the noise was getting louder. She glanced at her shoulder and realised the sound was coming from her handbag. She quickly opened her handbag and started rummaging for her mobile phone. She picked it up and looked to see who it was. It was O.B...

"Er...Hi...umm...Is this Marie's phone?" came the voice of O.B.

Marie's face lightened up. "Hi O.B! Yeah it is.."

"I haven't got you at a bad time, have I?" said O.B, nervously.

"No no! Not at all..." smiled Marie, thinking about his impeccable timing.

"Umm...I'm just wondering about..."

"...Friday night?" said Marie, finishing his sentence.

"Yeah! That's it! Just wondering if you'd like to go out to...I dunno, maybe the SU bar, or somewhere else?"

"The SU bar sounds great!" smiled Marie to herself.

"Yeah! Great! Okay, so Friday night, SU bar...Say around 7-ish?"

"7pm sounds fine to me..."

"Fantastic! Yeah, sounds like a plan! So, anyway, how are you?"

Marie tried to muffle her laughter. "I'm grand...How are you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good thanks! I best go though, 'cause the lunchtime shift's starting...So I'll see you tomorrow then!"

"See you tomorrow then! Bye O.B!"

"Bye!" said O.B's voice, trailing off.

Marie closed her phone and placed it back in her bag. She leaned back onto the brick wall and smiled.

_'Well...That was a good surprise!' _

Marie pulled open the door of the salon to see Mel and Sophie sitting quietly, eating sandwiches. Mel was wearing a white uniform, just like Sophie, but Mel had darker shorter hair, compared to Sophie. Mel gave a brief smile to Marie and then concentrated on her sandwich again. Louise was sitting down as well, eating a tuna salad, but looked quite miserable. Marie looked at the desk. There was an Il Gnosh bag with Marie's chicken baguette inside. Marie looked at it eagerly as hunger began to take over her. Louise finally realised Marie was in room and stopped eating.

"Marie! I didn't know you'd come back in!" Louise said, wiping her mouth on a napkin, "Your lunch is in the bag and I also ordered you a latte too...You do like lattes, don't you?"

"I love lattes! Thank-you!" said Marie, gratefully as she walked over to the desk and picked up her baguette. "How much do I owe you for it?"

Louise shook her head. "It's my treat. You deserve it after handling the customers this morning!"

Marie was already eating her baguette faster than you can say 'Ready Steady Cook'. After suffering four customers nag into her ears all morning, she needed the energy just to put up with the other six that were due that afternoon. She sipped some of the creamy latte and took another bite out of her lunch. Sophie had already finished her sandwich and was drinking some orange juice. Mel was still eating her sandwich, while texting on her mobile.

"How have you found Hollyoaks to be so far?" asked Sophie, looking up at Marie, anticipating for an answer.

"Yeah, it's a really nice place with some lovely helpful people living here..." said Marie as she put down her latte.

"I know how you feel" smiled Sophie "My family moved here four years ago - we actually used to live in the Valentine's flat, but my Mum left Hollyoaks, so we had to sell the flat... It takes at least a week to get properly adjusted to life around here - but don't worry, you'll fit in fine!"

"Yeah, just avoid people like Darren Osbourne...Gilly...and Warren as they only want new girls for one thing..." muttered Mel, under her breath. Sophie glared at Mel instantly...

"Do you have any family who have come along with you?" asked Sophie, smoothing the creases out of her napkin.

"Nah, just me..." sighed Marie, "Is it just you and Mel now?"

"We have a younger brother called Justin" said Mel, looking at her phone, "That's it..."

"Oh, I see..." nodded Marie, collecting her rubbish from her lap.

Sophie moved her stool forward to face Marie more closely. "So...Do you have a boyfriend?"

_'Why does everyone just assume I have a boyfriend?' _thought Marie.

"Umm, no I don't. I finished with him six months ago...How about you two?"

Sophie's smile widened. "Yeah...His name's Russ. Russell Owen...He's the best boyfriend anyone could have! I love him to bits!"

"No, not at the moment...I was going out with a guy called O.B., but we ended it a few months ago." sighed Mel, looking down at her feet.

_'Oh...dear...I'm gonna make a real good impression to Mel by meeting up with her ex-boyfriend after being here barely a week...'_

"I'm sorry to hear that.." said Marie, apologetically.

Mel smiled briefly. "Hey, don't worry about it! It's not your fault..."

Louise looked at her watch and gasped. "Right, our next customer should be here anytime soon, so lets pack away, now!"

_**That evening...**_

Marie entered the Valentine Household to find Calvin watching TV on the sofa. He was wearing jeans and a grey t-shirt and had a cup of tea in his hand. He was watching some sort of crime program, but was also reading the newspaper as well. He turned around to face Marie and he smiled briefly to her.

Marie put her jacket down on the seat and sat down, flopping into the chair with sheer exhaustion...

"Hey! How was your day? Anything exciting happen?" Calvin asked, putting his mug on the coffee table.

Marie started to fiddle with her hair. "Well, it was very...tiring to say the most, but I love it! ...I didn't see you this morning...Did you have to go in early?"

Calvin sighed and sat back on the sofa. "Yeah...had to go in...early, yeah". Calvin's facial expression turned somber compared to his happy greeting. Marie sighed and opened her handbag to check her phone for messages.

"Have you met any nice people at all?" asked Calvin, flicking through TV channels.

"Well, I've met Louise who owns Evissa, Sophie and Mel Burton, who I work with...err...Tony...Hutchinson from Il Gnosh...Dom Hutchinson and err...a guy called O.B..."

Marie instantly regretted what she had said..._'A guy called O.B! You're going out with him tomorrow, at least refer to him as your friend!...' _

"Sounds like you've made quite a few friends then!" smiled Calvin

Marie's phone suddenly beeped. She picked it up and noticed she had a new message from O.B:

_'Hi! Can't wait for tomorrow, O.B x'_

"Sounds like I have..."

_**Friday 8th September**_

_**6.50 pm**_

_**SU Bar**_

Marie entered the SU bar and found it to be jam-packed full of students. The SU Bar looked very modern inside with a big Plasma TV, a massive Snooker Table and a stylish bar. There were numerous posters on the walls for upcoming bands and drinks offers. Marie looked down at herself for the millionth time. She felt a little bit out of place. She had chosen to wear a navy blue button-up top and cropped jeans and accesorised with white beads and navy ballet-style pumps. She had curled her hair, which finished off the look. Marie looked around for O.B. She walked up and peered at the bar and around the snooker table. She moved further round to see if he was there. No luck...

_'I must be early...Well, he'll turn up in a few minutes, I mean, its not like he has very far to go... Am I in the right place? It did say SU bar on the front, but he could have meant somewhere else... Well, this is the logical place to go!' _

Marie headed over to a table and sat down. People were starting to look round and see who it was. Marie did look like a student, so it wasn't as if she stood out from the crowd. Marie started to cringe being here. Several male students were starting to stare at her and they either waved, smiled or winked at her. Marie put her head in her hands.

_'Great...I'm the latest 'Eye Candy'...'_

Marie lifted her head up and graciously smiled to people looking at her. She picked up the leaflet left on the table and started to read the various student discounts for drinks. The door opened and Marie instantly turned her head, hoping O.B. would be there...

...Not O.B.

Marie sighed and looked at her watch. It was now 7:10. Marie shrugged it off and gently reminded herself that all men have a bad sense of time-keeping...

_'Don't worry, he will turn up...Maybe he just got delayed somewhere. He did say this Friday...didn't he?'_

A male student who had been staring at her for ages, came up to Marie's table. He had blonde hair and was wearing a top and a skirt over some trousers. He had come over from a table of five other students, all smiling and watching him go up to her. Marie turned around to face the student.

"Hi! I'm Kris!" said the man with a distinct Irish accent, "Would you like to join me and my friends for a drink? We saw that you had been sitting there for quite some time now and thought you might like some company?"

Marie peered over to the table that he had come from. A man with dark hair was waving madly at her, next to him a blonde girl smiling, opposite her was a girl who looked like Sasha, who was waving and a brunette girl who was sat sulking in the corner.

"Ignore the mad people over there...There just my friends!" smiled Kris.

Marie smiled back at Kris. "Thanks for your offer! It was really nice of you, but I'm actually meeting someone who is late..."

"That's okay, just come over to our table anytime if your friend doesn't show up..." said Kris, politely.

"Okay, I will do, thanks!" said Marie, smiling, "Thanks, Kris!"

Kris had now walked off back to his own table. Marie sighed and looked at her watch. 7:20.

Marie lifted herself up off her chair and walked over to the bar. She sat on one of the bar stools and checked her phone for any missed calls.

_'Where IS he? I hope nothing has happened to him...Oh no! Perhaps this is just some sick, cruel joke just to make a mockery of me in front of everyone!...But why would he do that? He doesn't seem the type...'_

"What can I get you?" asked the bartender, staring at Marie for a reply.

"Oh, that's okay I'm wa-...Err...I'll have a vodka shot, please"

The bartender re-appeared shortly with a vodka shot. Marie stared at it, longingly.

_'No...I'll have to wait for him before ordering drinks! ...But...if its here now, then, it would be a waste not to drink it...'_

Marie grabbed the shot glass off the table and knocked it back in one. She winced slightly at the taste, but then soon relaxed.

"Bartender?"

...**_Four vodka shots later_**...

Marie knocked back her fifth shot of the evening. She stared up at the bar. She felt like the room was spinning and was beginning to feel dizzy...She stared at the bartender and already knew she had drunk too much as she now had double-vision. She lifted her wrist slowly to her face and tried to make out the time. She squinted at her watch.

_'...7...45...7:45...Where is he?'_

Marie's head started to pound. The noise around her was getting louder and louder and louder...

Suddenly, the door opened. Marie turned around slowly on her bar stool. She peered at the person who had just entered the room. The person was...male and had...brown hair. He was wearing a smart shirt and jeans. She moved closer to see who it was. The man was looking around for someone. The man suddenly stopped and saw Marie. Then it clicked...It was O.B.

Marie suddenly began to panic.

_'OH MY GOD! He's finally here and I'm off my head! He CAN'T know I'm drunk! What am I gonna do! I can't go now! He's seen me! He looks really nice as well...Oh no! He's walking towards me...'_

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry to leave it on a cliff-hanger! Hope you liked it Please review! xxxxxxxxxxx


	5. The Date and The Saturday

Chapter 4

The Date and The Saturday

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters, except OCs

_**Friday 8th September**_

_**SU Bar**_

_**7:55 pm**_

Marie sat at the bar watching O.B walk towards her. Her heart was racing faster than ever and she wanted to disappear. She felt like the only person in the room and that scared her most...

O.B smiled at her as he walked towards her. Marie smiled back, but turned around suddenly and put her hands in her head.

_'Why? Why did I have to drink so much...What a great impression I am going to make on him! Oh God...kill me now!'_

"Would you like another drink?" asked the bartender, leaning forward towards Marie.

_'That's what got my into this mess in the first place!'_

"You've got to be joking me!" laughed Marie, nervously, trying not to slur her words. She quickly whipped out her hand-held mirror out of her handbag and checked herself. She still looked immaculate, but her drunkenness could ruin everything for her...

O.B. was now at the bar, staring at Marie apologetically.

"Marie! I am _so _sorry! The shift at Il Gnosh was an absolute nightmare, so I couldn't get off any earlier...Have you been waiting long?" he said as he grabbed the stool next to Marie.

_'Yeah...long enough to get down at least five vodka shots...' _

"No...no...It's o-kay...honestly" said Marie, trying to watch her words.

"So, how are you, anyway? You look really...wow! Can I get you a drink?" said O.B, sweetly.

"Ummm...I'm...fine, for the moment, thanks...I-I already had something before I came out.."

said Marie, smiling, trying to cover up her slurred speech.

"Do you want to stay here or find a table? It's up to you.." smiled O.B.

"Well, I did have...but...those people...took it over..." mumbled Marie, randomly pointing at the table which she had previously sitting.

"Sorry? I didn't catch a word of it! The music is so loud in here, isn't it? What did you say?"

" A table's fine" nodded Marie, forcing herself not to shout.

O.B. got up off his stool and looked around for a free table. It looked like half of Hollyoaks village was in the bar. Marie felt the room get warmer and found it impossible to breathe. O.B. pointed to a free table and said something, but Marie couldn't work out what he was saying. He grabbed the table before anyone could. Marie grabbed her handbag off the bar and tried very hard not to fall off the bar stool. She carefully put her feet on the floor and stood herself up. She located the table and started to walk slowly to the table. She avoided the mass of people now queuing up to get to the bar. She also noticed Kris's table - as they were the loudest table out of all of them. Nearly all of the five people on the table, including Kris, were drunk. The dark-haired guy from the table, who waived manically to her earlier had now spotted her.

"HELLOOO!" said the dark haired guy, his voice practically a foghorn.

"Joe! Ssssshhhhh! We'll...get...kicked out!" laughed the blonde girl next to him.

Marie smiled at their table and carried on walking to the table. She finally reached the table, in one piece, and pulled out her chair. She sat down and smiled at O.B and checked her appearance.

"So, how was your day today?" asked O.B., staring directly at Marie,

Marie swept some of her hair away from her face. "Ummm...had a lot of customers...some of them who just would not shut up...but..it was...good!"

"Gobby customers are just the worst...You always get them and yet, you cannot avoid them! We always get them in Il Gnosh and where I used to work, The Loft..." said O.B, getting quieter, "Its like they have no self-control of their voice!"

_'No self-control...bingo! That's me...'_

"Oh I know...they are...absolutely...terrible!" said Marie, triumphantly, "How was...your day?"

"Oh you know, same old, same old!" laughed O.B. "Tony was almost having a cardiac arrest though when the food service that delivers the food left half of the order out and he had to..."

Marie nodded her head as O.B as he talked. She lifted her elbow up from her lap and tried to rest it on the table, but missed the table completely and ended up jerking off the table. Luckily, O.B. didn't notice and Marie, even more embarrassed, kept her elbow off the table.

"...but everything went okay in the end. Crisis obverted. I bet Louise doesn't get stressed as much as Tony does!" O.B. laughed.

_'Oh, she has her moments...'_

Marie laughed quietly. "No...Louise is lovely and so are...Sophie and...errr...Mel! That's her name!"

"Oh, the twins? Yeah, they're good fun! Did you want a drink now, before Rush-Hour kicks in?" asked O.B., pointing to the bar.

"Umm...a Coke's fine, thanks!" said Marie, fighting her urge to say 'Vodka'.

"Be back in two tics..." said O.B smiling, heading off to the bar.

Marie felt herself sobering up a little. She sat up in her chair and looked at O.B. going to the bar.

_'He's so polite and nice...Why do I always have to mess things up when things go right! And good-looking too...'_

A mobile phone began to ring. Marie didn't hear it ringing at first, but she knew it wasn't her mobile. She saw on the table that O.B had left his. Marie had a look to see if it was his. She looked at the Caller ID. A 'Max' was ringing. Marie looked to see were O.B was. She tried to get his attention, but it wasn't working. She let the phone ring, until it finally stopped. O.B. picked up the drinks from the bar and walked over to the table with them.

"Okay, here is your drink..." said O.B, sitting back into his seat.

"Thanks" smiled Marie, taking a sip of her drink, hoping it would make her sober. "Your phone was ringing while you were at the bar..."

O.B. looked at his phone and flipped it open. He pressed a few buttons and then stopped and stared at the phone. He looked quite solemn and then just shut his phone and looked back at Marie.

"Don't worry, no-one important..."

He grabbed his drink and started to down most of it. He put the bottle down and faced Marie. "So...let me see if I can guess your age! Umm...23?"

Marie shook her head playfully.

"Ok...older or younger?"

"Not saying..." smiled Marie

"24?" asked O.B., hoping for it to be right.

"Nope. I'm 21..." smiled Marie. She gave a small hiccup and tried to conceal it.

"Damn! So close..." laughed O.B

"How... old are...you? hiccupped Marie, trying to hold her breath for twenty seconds.

"Ancient. No, I'm 24..."

(A:N/ Not sure whether it is his right age or not, but if anyone knows, then that'd be great!)

Marie smiled. "Awww...That's not ancient! hic"

O.B laughed." You're very modest! I hate telling people my age, 'cause I sometimes still think I'm 15, and people think I look younger than I am and when I say my age, they look all embarrassed! God...I hate being embarrassed! Especially when you have one of those god-awful embarrassing moments in front of loads of people!"

_'I have plenty of those all the time...'_

"I know what you mean..." said Marie, slightly slurring her words, "Like the time when I walked out of the house and I forgot to put my underwear on..."

_'...like now...'_

The words that Marie said suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She clamped her hands over her mouth. O.B. raised his eyebrows and gave a small smile.

"Oh...my...god. I didn't just say that...did I? I mean, did I?" Marie felt her face go red. "Please pretend you didn't hear ANY of it!"

O.B. nodded, but Marie could just tell from his eyes that he was in stitches inside.

"I'm just going to go to the ladies..." said Marie, quietly. She got up off her chair and walked over to the direction of the toilets...

"Marie?" came the voice of O.B.

Marie turned her head to face O.B. at the table.

_'Oh god...This is where he makes up some pathetic excuse like 'I left the kettle on...' just to run away from mad people like me...I don't blame him - I would too...'_

"The ladies are that way..." said O.B., pointing to the far right end of the bar. Marie looked up to where she was standing. The sign 'Men's Toilets' hung above her head...

Marie felt like becoming an ostrich and sticking her head in the sand.

"Thanks...Didn't know...Men..." mumbled Marie and headed off to the Ladies toilets...

_**10 Minutes later...**_

Marie emerged from the toilets and saw O.B. still at the table. After spending most of her time hiding in a locked cubicle, Marie decided that she had to make a re-appearance. She was now a lot more sober than she was and decided to make the most of what was left of the evening, with what dignity she had left in her. She sat down on her chair and felt grateful that O.B hadn't run away...yet.

"Thanks for staying...most people would have run a mile right now.." laughed Marie, nervously.

"Don't be daft!" smiled O.B., "So, where are you from?"

_'Mars...'_

"I come from Oxford, where everyone either has a stiff-upper lip or owns one of the Universities. My parents are unfortunately the neurotic sort who try to cling onto everything for dear life...I went to a state school as even though my parents acted liked they had loads of money, they didn't, so couldn't send me to a private school..."

Marie grabbed her Coke and took a few sips.

"Passed all of my GCSE's and decided to become go to college and train to become a Beauty Therapist. My parents of course, objected, but it was what I wanted to be, so I took it. After I finished college, I started a job at this really small salon, but it had the Boss from Hell, so I couldn't take it, so when Calvin called and offered me a place to stay, I took up his offer... I had also broken up with my idiot of a boyfriend, Kevin, as he was cheating behind my back... So there you go, everything about me!"

O.B. shook his head. "Nasty - cheating behind someone's back..."

Marie sighed. "Well, he didn't love me as much as I loved him, so, I couldn't be in a loveless relationship anymore..."

"I know the feeling..." said O.B. quietly, "Not so long ago, I was going out with this girl who was great, I mean, I'd known her for a long time and I thought everything was okay, until she broke it off as she had other priorities to sort out. I loved her, but I'm not sure if she felt the same way..."

They both sat in silence, thinking about their past relationships and wondering what would happen in the future for them...

_**Later on that evening...**_

Marie stumbled out of the SU Bar with O.B, holding her incase she would fall over. They were both laughing and drunk, after ordering more and more drinks, until they both mutually decided to leave before they went into a comatose-like state. Marie was even more drunk than O.B. was, but still equally as bad.

O.B. moved closer to Marie. "What's...you-know...the time! That's it!"

Marie looked at her wrist and tried to stare under the street-light at her watch.

She giggled helplessly as she tried to work out the time.

"Ummm... 4...1...1!" said Marie, laughing at her attempt to tell the time.

O.B. laughed and he gently pulled Marie's wrist to his face. "Its not _that _late! It is...11:20!"

"Whoopsie-daisies!" said Marie, laughing even louder.

"I think I'll walk you back..." smiled O.B, grabbing Marie as she nearly tripped over.

Marie regained her sense of balance and started to walk very slowly to the stairs to the flats. O.B. stood very close by her and kept on eye on her. They both kept exchanging glances at each other while they walked up to the brick wall. O.B looked at Marie. Even though she may have had too much to drink, she still looked in perfect condition as to how he first saw her.

"Is this a bad time to say that...I find you really attractive?" asked O.B, nearly banging into the brick wall,

Even though Marie stumbled when she walked, she still heard everything. She stopped and thought about O.B's words.

_'He likes me? Really? It might just be the drink talking...But what if he really means it and I think he does too? What do I say now? Think, think, think!'_

"Really? Thanks..." smiled Marie and she looked at O.B. They both stopped and stared at each other for a few seconds and then resumed walking. They had now reached the steps up to the Valentine's flat. Marie and O.B began to walk up the steps very carefully, until they reached the flat. Marie opened her handbag and started rummaging for the key that Calvin had given her. The lights didn't seem to be on inside the flat. Marie finally pulled out the gold key and zipped up her handbag.

"Well, I had a...great time!" said Marie, "Despite my drunk-en-ness..."

"I must say, that, tonight has been...one of the best nights out in ages!" smiled O.B. "And I think...we should do this again...well, not get so drunk, but go out again...if you get what I mean?"

Marie nodded. "That sounds...really nice, actually!"

She put her key in the lock and unlocked the door. She turned to face O.B.

O.B moved closer towards Marie...

...They both moved closer...

...Closer...Closer...

"CLOSE THE DAMN DOOR, YEAH? I'M TRYING TO COMPLETE THIS LEVEL!" boomed the voice of Sonny.

Marie exhaled sharply. "I best go now..."

"Night..." said O.B, looking kind of disappointed.

"Goodnight..." said Marie, watching O.B walk away from the flat. She closed the door quickly, shutting out the cold. She leaned back against the door and sighed. Sonny gave an evil grin, before continuing to play with his video games. Marie rolled her eyes and proceeded to make her way up the stairs, disappointed with the lack of kiss...

_**Meanwhile...**_

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

Joe, Zoe, Olivia, Kris and Jessica were all making their way back to their dorm room. All of them, except Jessica, were notoriously drunk after sharing nearly a whole bottle of vodka to themselves. Jessica was in a sulk over Olivia's new found ability to stand up to her and was walking shadily behind them all. Will had decided to stay home, as the thought of drinking vodka made him feel sick to the stomach. Joe was now singing "New York, New York" at the top of his lungs, which had Zoe, Kris and Olivia in a fit of giggles...

"_I want to be apart of it, NEW YORK, NEW YORRRRKKKK!" _sang Joe, using a bottle of beer as a microphone. He had his arm around Zoe, who couldn't control her laughter.

"Can you just shut up! I have a headache!" whined Jessica, folding her arms.

"Lighten up, Jess!" smiled Olivia, "You didn't _have _to come out with us, you know..."

Jessica gave a moody look towards Olivia and carried on walking.

"I wonder what...Will is doing...you-know...inside there!" said Zoe, sluring her words.

"I looked at the TV guide and I saw that a Countdown Late Night Omnibus session was on from 12 to 1!" laughed Kris, adjusting his tartan skirt over some leggings.

Zoe and Olivia burst out laughing.

"Awww...that's mean!" laughed Zoe, jokingly.

"NU-WWWWWW YORRRRRKKKKKKK!" sang Joe as he got down on his knees on the floor and made 'Jazz Hands'.

Zoe, Olivia and Kris cracked up again.

"Can you guys help me up?" laughed Joe, in a drunken stupor.

Kris and Zoe laughed and grabbed Joe's hands and heaved up off the ground. Jessica looked at them all laughing and rolled her eyes.

They approached their dorm door and all stood around outside the door.

"Who's got the key?" asked Joe, who still had a drunken Zoe wrapped around him.

"I think I have..." said Olivia, opening up her silver handbag and rummaging through its contents.

"But I asked Jessica to pick the key up, so it can't be Olivia..." said Kris, staring at Jessica.

"Nope, I don't have it...Sorry..." said Olivia, showing everyone her empty handbag. All that was in there was some lip gloss, a purse and her mobile phone.

"But...I naturally assumed that you guys had picked it up as I was the last one out..." said Jessica, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah! Exactly! YOU were the last one out, so I yelled: 'Jess! Pick up the key on the counter!' Or were you in too much of a mood to listen?" accused Kris.

"That's not fair!" cried Jessica

Joe lifted up his arms as if to silence Kris and Jessica. "Ladies...Gentleman...I am the great Lord Joe! Be unto me, the Miracle Man, to solve all our...troubles!"

He walked up to the door and pulled on the handle. He smiled and then tried again...but with no luck. He yanked the door handle again and again, but it was obvious that the door had been locked.

"Nice Work, Genius!" laughed Zoe.

"Well, Will might still be awake, so lets see if he is or not!" suggested Olivia.

They all peered through the panels of glass in the door. They couldn't see much, yet they couldn't see Will moving about in the living area.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Zoe, looking up at Joe for an answer.

"Well, were gonna have to call Will..." said Olivia, grabbing her phone. They all turned to face Olivia who put the phone to her ear. They heard the phone ringing inside the room. Joe, Zoe and Kris peered in through the window pane to see that Will had left his mobile on the kitchen counter...next to the key...

Olivia hung up and sighed.

"Well, there's only one thing left to do..." said Joe looking at Kris.

"What's that?" asked Kris

"WIIIIILLLLL!" they all shouted as they banged on the door, "WIIIILLLLL!"

"WHERE ART THOU WILL!" shouted Joe at the top of his lungs.

"WIIIILLLLL!" they all shouted, once again.

Then suddenly, the light came on...

_**The Next Morning...**_

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

Marie felt the sunlight shine across her face, making her start to feel hot. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but she could still tell that it was morning. She was sprawled across her bed, wearing her pyjama bottoms, but forgot to take off her nice navy button-up top. The duvet was now on the floor along with her jeans and shoes. Her head felt like a bomb had exploded inside her head. Luckily, she wasn't feeling sick. She made the mistake of rubbing her eyes, which caused her to have mascara-induced panda eyes. She tried lifting her head off the pillow, but found it too much hard effort. She looked at the alarm clock. 9:30 am. Marie instantly felt compelled to get up, seeing as it wasn't her house. She finally found the energy to sit herself up in bed. She found her slippers on the floor and slipped her feet inside them. She stood up and it felt like the room was spinning.

She checked her mobile phone which was on the bedside table. She lifted up the cover and checked to see if there were any messages.

'_No New Messages'_

Marie flopped back onto her bed and sighed.

_'I've really screwed it up now! Well done Marie...'_

She curled up back onto her bed and lay thinking about what could have been...

_**The Cunningham Household**_

_**9:35 am**_

MaxCunningham sat in his kitchen reading the newspaper and eating a piece of toast. He flicked through the black and white pages, but he wasn't really interested in the current affairs of the world. He had got dressed into his jeans and polo shirt,. but wasn't going anywhere special at all. The kitchen in his flat was clean and the whole flat was tidy. No housework for him to do. For any man, it would seem like the perfect lazy Saturday, but to Max Cunningham, it wasn't...

Something was missing...

His eyes flickered to his mobile phone on the kitchen counter and he picked it up and stared at the screen. Nothing. He gave a lonely sigh. He heard a noise and looked around him. Nobody else was awake. The kettle had just boiled. Max ruffled his brown hair and walked over to the kettle and made himself a cup of tea. He carefully poured the hot water into the mug and placed a teabag inside. He finished making his tea and padded back to his seat.

He checked his phone again.

No-one had been trying to contact him and that was the most depressing thing of all...

_**The Summers/Burton Household**_

_**9:45 am**_

Sophie Burton lay in bed and smiled to herself. She looked over to the other side of the bed and stared at Russ, who was sleeping. She stared at him admirably and snuggled herself close to him. She tucked a loose blonde curl behind her ear and rested her head near Russ's chest. Russ opened his eyes and saw Sophie smiling at him.

"Morning!" smiled Sophie and she kissed his cheek.

"Morning..." replied Russ, sleepily.

"I didn't mean to wake you..." smiled Sophie, "You look very peaceful when you're sleeping!"

"No no, you didn't wake me" sighed Russ, "Just had a bit of a bad dream, that's all."

"Oh...I see..." said Sophie, hugging Russ. "Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

"Nah, its fine..." said Russ as he shook his head.

"Or...we could stay in if you like..." smiled Sophie, suggestively.

"Umm...I just want a shower, that's all..." said Russ, sitting himself up. He gave Sophie a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe later, eh?"

Russ walked over to the door and left the room. Sophie lay back down again, her mood altered by Russ's cold attitude. She twirled one of her blonde curls around her finger as she lay thinking about what she could have done to upset Russ. She sighed as she looked at the empty space next to her. She couldn't imagine a life without Russ, but sometimes she couldn't read Russ... She was a brilliant people person, but Russ's emotions weren't an open book that she could read.

Sophie heard the shower start and rolled round to Russ's side of the bed and hugged his pillow. Wishing it was him...

_**The Dean/Burton/Hayton Household**_

_**10:00 am**_

A pregnant Becca Dean walked over to her kitchen in her dressing gown and slippers. She looked around the flat and sighed at the mess. Nancy and Foz hadn't cleared away their plates from the previous evening and they sat on the coffee table, waiting to be cleaned. Justin's clean and ironed clothes sat on the sofa, waiting for Justin to come and collect them. Becca looked at the sink. It was just as bad. Nancy had promised her faithfully that she would do the washing up, but the dirty cutlery and pans sat in the cold soapy water untouched. Becca shook her head and decided to get out her cereal. She opened her cupboard and looked for a bowl. No bowl to be seen. She searched along the kitchen counters and sighed at the amount of bills piling up, waiting to be paid. She checked the sink and not much to her surprise, all the bowls were dirty. Becca put her hand into the grimy water and washed up a bowl in some new water. She grabbed her cereal, bowl and milk and headed to the table.

Becca suddenly realised that she had forgotten a spoon, so walked along to the kitchen to get one. As she did, she stepped on something soft. She picked it up. It was a giraffe baby soft toy. Justin had bought it for her the day before. She stared at it and thought about the baby growing inside her.

A baby who's father she didn't even know...

Becca put her hands over her stomach protectively. She hadn't planned any of this...It just happened...

And that's what Becca hated most of all: surprises.

But there were plenty more of them to come around Becca's way...

_**The Hutchinson/Reily/O'Brian Household**_

_**10:05 am**_

O.B sat on the sofa in Tony's flat and sat thinking about what happened the night before. Tony and Dom were in Il Gnosh, so it was just him alone in the flat. He stared at his mobile phone which was sitting casually next to him.

_'Should I call her?...And say what?...I really like her, but does she see me in the same way?'_

O.B sighed and turned on the TV. But all he could think about was Marie...

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**10:15 am**_

Marie stood and stared at herself in the mirror. She was dressed and washed and clutched her mobile in her hand. She had it open and had the O.B's number on the screen, ready to be called. She sighed and looked at her mobile.

_'Come on Marie! It's now or never! Just call him and leave a message. That's all there is to it!'_

Marie checked her appearance in the mirror and swept her hair into bunches. She then pressed the 'Dial' button on her phone and held the phone to her ear.

She paced around the bathroom as the ringing tone carried on...

_'Hi, this is O.B's phone, Please leave a message after the tone.'_

_"Hi O.B, its Marie. Roberts. Umm...just calling to see how you are and umm...well...to apologise really for last night as I don't usually drink as much as I did and you probably don't want me calling up and leaving crap messages on your phone...I did enjoy last night, despite my embarrassing behaviour and I really hope that we can meet up some other time, maybe? Or not, if you don't want to, its up to you...but if you do, then give me a call. Okay, bye!"_

Marie closed her phone and put her hands in her head over the message. She put her phone down on the sink. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and sat thinking over what she had said. She smoothed the creases out of her top, so it looked wrinkle-free. Suddenly, Marie heard this horrible noise and realised it was her phone vibrating on the sink. She quickly ran over to the sink and realised that O.B was calling.

_'What am I supposed to do? I'm not very good at dealing with people after leaving them weird messages!...Just let him leave a message!'_

Marie let the phone ring out and waited patiently for a message...

She picked up her phone and to her delight, he had left a message.

'_Hi Marie, Its O.B. I got your message and...I would like to meet up again sometime as I had a really good time last night...Umm...If you wanted to meet up next Saturday, as we could go into Chester or something...Give me a call if you'd like to go out again. Bye!"_

Marie sighed happily and smiled. She had officially survived her first four days in Hollyoaks...

**End of Chapter 4**

**A/N: Hope you liked it! It took ages to write as I kept debating things over and over again... I have decided to incorporate more Hollyoaks characters into my story - so you will be seeing more of the above characters. Thanks to everyone who has left reviews so far :) I really appreciate them! Please please, keep the reviews coming and also, any suggestions/future hopes for the story would be very helpful!**

**Thanks,**

**Grace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	6. Feelings Vs Attraction

Chapter 5 

Feelings Vs. Attraction

Rating - T

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs

_**Wednesday 13th September**_

It was the middle of the week for the people of Hollyoaks and life continued to plod on as usual. For Marie, today marked her first week in Hollyoaks - and it couldn't have been better. She had got herself a job, had all of the names of shops memorised (nearly), was making friends and had a possible boyfriend in the works...

At the salon, things were very quiet. Most of the appointments had been cancelled due to one reason or the other, so the work was quiet scarce.

That day, the girls at Evissa all had different things on their minds...

Sophie, who had just finished her 3rd waxing of the day, was thinking mostly about Russ. After recieving the cold shoulder from him on Saturday, she hadn't heard a word from him since. She sat down on one of the spare stools and started questioning whether or not to instigate the first phone call... She opened up her phone and closed it again. She repeatedly did this - hoping that he would call...

Her sister, Mel was thinking of more pratical issues, like who would get the bed that night or whether or not she had washed her green top. However, her 'jealousy monster' envyed her sister having a boyfriend and not her, was growing every minute - and Mel was forcing to supress it. She wanted a boyfriend, but she wanted someone new and exciting. She sat looking at the phone on the desk, hoping that it would call, just so that she could talk to someone - even a telephone salesman would do...

Louise was sat in her office and looked at the mountain of paperwork that she would have to tackle sooner or later. She was thinking about a man too...Warren, to be inparticular. She loathed having Warren around her and was glad when he wasn't around: but when he wasn't there, he still prayed on her thoughts - and Louise hated it. She dreamed about the day when Warren would suddenly leave and never have to see her again. Louise sighed and told herself that is was just a fantasy...

She twiddled with her white beads and sat dreading about going back to the flat. Even though she liked Sophie and Mel's company, the mess was getting out of hand...

Marie was sitting at the nail bar, looking at her own nails, while flicking through the property pages. Her thoughts were all happy ones:

She thought about how grateful she was to Calvin and his hospitality...

She thought about how she actually enjoyed going to work each morning...

She thought about the great friends she was making...

She thought about O.B and looked forward to seeing him again...

But most of all, she thought about how suprinsingly suprised she was on how her first week had gone...

And whether or not it was too good to be true...

Louise stared at the wall clock in the office. 3:20 pm. There were no more appointments left and Louise felt fed up of waiting around. She sighed and got up off her chair. They had only had 4 customers that day - which was a welcome break from the dozens they had in day to day. Louise walked into the main salon and saw the three girls sitting there, doing nothing...

"Okay, who feels ready to go home?" asked Louise, smiling at the three girls.

Mel, Sophie and Marie all raised their hands.

"Good! Me too..." sighed Louise, "Shall we pack up?"

"Yes...please!" said Mel as she pushed in the chair.

Sophie managed to shut her phone finally and put in back in her handbag and got up off her stool. Marie folded up the paper she had been looking at and also, pushed her chair in.

Louise had the keys twirled the keys in her hand and picked up her coat and bag. Mel shutdown the computer and turned on the answerphone machine. Sophie put away the waxing strips in the other room, while Marie put all the nail varnish away tidily.

Mel stood next to Louise, waiting for Sophie and Marie to finish up. Sophie grabbed her bag and headed over to the door. Marie closed the stock room door and picked her handbag off her stool. She walked over to join the others. She switched off the lights and continued with the others out the door.

Louise closed the door, but suddenly stopped.

"The alarm! I forgot to set the alarm..." she said, shaking her head to herself. "Marie?"

Marie finished stuffing her newspaper into her bag and looked up to Louise.

"You know the alarm code - Can you go in and quickly set it for me?"

Marie then realised that she had left her mobile on the nail bar counter...

"Yeah, sure! I've just realised that I've left my mobile on the counter too..." said Marie, guiltily.

Louise tossed the keys over to Marie, who quickly caught them.

"Could you lock up then as well? Thanks! Just keep the keys until tommorow..." smiled Louise, "See you tommorow!"

"Bye!" chorused Sophie and Mel.

Marie waved as they all walked away from the salon.

She pushed the door open and revealed the dim-lit salon. She turned on the lights and spotted her mobile on the counter of the nail bar - just like she had said...

_'The salon looks more attractive with the lights on... Why do I always seem to forget my phone? It must be my nature..'_

She walked over to the counter and quickly put her mobile back into her bag. She felt the salon was cold without everyone...

Suddenly, Marie heard a noise come inside the salon. She looked around, but shrugged it off.

_'Its okay, Marie. Just the boiler...Or something...'_

She walked over to the alarm and lifted up the flap,

_'Right, the alarm code was something like 4...2...1...9, I think... I hope it is right, otherwise the Police will be on their way - and Louise won't be very happy...'_

Marie was about to punch in the numbers when she heard the noise again. The noise was a lot louder and was getting closer...

Marie quickly shuddered and punched in the first few numbers...

Then suddenly, Warren popped up from the back of the salon...

Marie let out a small scream, then sighed when she saw who it was. Warren simply laughed. He was wearing a smart buisness suit and smiled slyly at Marie. Marie's happy thoughts quickly disappeared...

"Didn't scare you, did I now?" replied Warren, icily. He smiled at Marie and walked closer towards her. Marie felt shivers down her spines. She had the same feeling as she did when she met him for the first time.

Marie tried to calm her nerves. "Errmm...No, no...You didn't..." she said, shakily. "But how did you...?"

"Oh, I came in at Lunchtime, when you all went out to get lunch. I was sorting some stuff out in the back room...Louise must have forgotten me..." smirked Warren, "She always does..."

Warren walked over to Marie and moved closer to her, so that they were nearly touching. The familiar after-shave scent was right up close to Marie and she fought the urge to run out immediatly. There was something about him that made Marie instantly dis-like him...

"Did you forget something?" asked Warren, "Or did you want to see me..."

Marie shuddered at the thought of ever-wanting to see Warren on her own accord...

"Ummm...I-I forgot my...phone" said Marie, quietly. She felt very intimidated by Warren. Perhaps that was why she was so nervous around him...

"Ah, I see..." smiled Warren. He looked at Marie up and down. He smiled again, showing off his teeth. "I best be off...I have some affairs to sort out. Hope to see you around more..."

Marie nodded and forced a smile out.

Warren moved away from her and pushed the door open. He turned to look at Marie and smiled, then carried on walking.

Marie exhaled shakily and closed her eyes. She always got on well with people, but for some reason, she picked up a bad vibe when around Warren. Marie felt glad that he had left the room. She turned off the lights and began to set the alarm again...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Joe, Zoe, Kris, Will, Jessica and Olivia's Dorm**_

Zoe pushed open the door and entered the dorm. To her surprise, no-one was around and the dorm was peacefully quiet...

She took her heavy shoulder bag off her and dumped it on the floor. She walked over to the sofa and flopped down on it: tired after a gruelling lecture. She took off her hair bobble and let her blonde hair loose. She sighed to herself. The room felt quiet without Joe. When Joe walked in, he always made a room light up with his personality. Zoe took her phone out of her pocket and started to read a text, when the door suddenly opened.

Zoe flicked her head around and to her happiness, Joe walked in. He immediatly spotted Zoe and smiled.

Joe dumped his stuff by the door and put his mobile phone on the counter.

"Hello there, dear Zoe..." smiled Joe as he walked into the kitchen area. He began to fill up the kettle with water. "How are you, today? Do you want a cuppa?"

Zoe smiled politley at Joe. "Hi Joe...Nah, I'm alright at the mo, thanks..."

Joe put down the kettle and folded his arms. "Now... nobody says no to a cup of Joe's World Famous Tea! Go on..." he said jokingly.

"Oh alright..." smiled Zoe. She loved the way how she would always cave in for Joe nowadays.

Joe pulled out two flowery mugs from a cupboard. "He he he...Joe scores again..." he said, laughing, "So, how was your lovely lecture today? Was it as interesting as mine?"

Zoe yawned. "It was very...boring, to be frank...The teacher just went on and on about stuff that wasn't even neccessary..."

"Shock! Horror! Zoe the Brainbox is dissing the teacher!" laughed Joe as he stirred the milk into the two mugs.

"I am not!" protested Zoe. She folded her arms, but tried not to let a smile escape from her face.

_'No, Zoe...Don't warm up to him! Remeber what happened last time...' _thought Zoe to herself.

Joe brought over two warm mugs of tea over to Zoe. Zoe takes one off Joe hands and smiles at him. She took a sip of her tea. He was right. Joe did make good cups of tea...

Joe walked back into the kitchen and produced a plastic bag.

"Zoe?"

She turned her head over to Joe.

"Want a Bourbon?" he said, shaking a packet of biscuits around like maracas.

"Errmmm...I'll think I'll pass..." said Zoe, taking another sip of her tea.

_'Thats it, Zoe, Good! Refuse your favourite biscuit just to show that you don't have feelings for Joe...'_

Joe grabbed his cup of tea and sat down on the sofa next to Zoe. He grinned at Zoe and took a sip of his tea. Zoe smiled and looked away, trying not to stare into the person who she thought she had feelings for...

"You seem quiet.." said Joe, cradling his cup of tea.

"Mmm..." said Zoe, not even comprehending what Joe had just said. "Oh, no..I'm just tired, thats all!"

Zoe and Joe sat and stared at each other's eyes for a moment...

_'Zoe...you're falling for him again...LOOK AWAY NOW!'_

...to be interrupted by the door opening with Kris, Olivia and Will, bringing in bags of shopping.

"I told you to get the semi-skimmed milk, not pasturised! No-one drinks pasturised!" said Olivia, placing the shopping bags on the kitchen counter.

"I like Pasturised!" protested Kris, unpacking the shopping into the fridge.

Will stood next to the oven, yawning. He sighed as he put his bags onto the floor...

"Hey! What's up, Will?" smiled Joe.

Will sighed. "I am tired...'cause do you know why? It is because I was woken up on Saturday by four drunken loonies screaming my name at two o'clock in the morning, so my whole body-clock is messed up because of it!"

Joe put his arm around Will. "Will...Will...Will...You are our saviour! What we would do without you..."

"What's happened to Jess?" asked Kris, holding a tin of baked beans in his hand.

"I heard there was a sale on at H+M..." said Joe, taking another sip of his tea.

"Oh well...She can have something to eat when she gets back from whereever she is..." sighed Olivia, "Now, who fancies Pot Noodle or Super Noodle?"

_**The Owen Household**_

Russ sat on his own on his sofa, watching some meaningless documentary about turtles. Nicole was still at school, while Carrie was at work, so Russ thought nothing of a better way of spending the afternoon off work, than to watch rubbish on TV and drink thousands of cups of tea. He put his feet up and forced his mind into watching about how turtles swim...

But there was something on his mind...

Or was it someone...

...A certain someone who he couldn't get out of his head...

...A person who he knew was wrong to think about...

...Yet he couldn't help it...

He's only human...

But deep down...He knows he wants this person so much...

_'No, you can't think about her again...You love your girlfriend very much...' _thought Russ to himself, yet the nagging voice of desire and temptation were still shouting in his ear...

He heard his phone beep and he quickly looked to see who it was:

_' Hi! It's me, Do you want to go for a drink at The Dog?_ _I finished work early! Meet me there in 15 mins - Love Sophie xxxx'_

He smiled at the message and stood up to get his jacket.

_'I have a loving girlfriend who is perfect in every way...'_

But why was it that he couldn't get Mercedes McQueen out of his head?

**_The Dean/Burton/Hayton Household _**

Becca Dean slouched on her sofa and put her feet up. She stared at her bright yellow shirt and threw her ridiculous chicken hat on the floor. She slumped down the sofa and sat staring at the flat around her.

****

'I've got to get out of this job...My hair is greasy, I smell like a bucket of KFC and I swear my skin is getting worse...'

...'But I really need the money...'

'How are we gonna cope? As if I'm really ready to have a baby...'

'Bring on Christmas...'

_**At the Valentine's Flat...**_

Marie finally sat down on the sofa and began her search for a flat of her own. She pulled out the newspaper from her bag and scanned through the various ads. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at the flats in the area. Marie looked through and sighed. All the flats were either too pricey, looked run-down or in the middle of nowhere. She turned to the next page and started turning her options to small houses. But yet again...they had the same problems...

Marie turned another page. She was just glad to be away from Warren's creepyness...

_'Why aren't there any decent flats like this one?" _Marie thought to herself, looking around the Valentine's flat.

Marie folded her paper and sat day-dreaming about her perfect flat...

With cream walls and a gold and silver theme throughout the living room...

And a burgundy and black granite kitchen...

...And a baby blue and white infused bedroom...

But Marie sighed and told herself that she wasn't going to move into her perfect flat as she didn't have the money for it.

She reached down and picked up her bags of clothes which she had bought with the time that she had in the afternoon. She had even bought a pair of nice strappy stiletto's - which she knew that she couldn't afford, but bought them anyway, and stared at them admiringly.

She lay the new clothes on her lap and started to look through them. She had finally sorted out for going out with O.B that Friday to see a film in Chester and was looking at what to wear...

_'The Green top...The blue top...Marie, why are you trying so hard to look nice, when you are only friends with him! Just go in anything!'_

She started debating over in her mind over what to wear...

...Even though she wasn't much of a fashion consciencous person, she still wanted to look nice...

...But why did she feel so compelled to make her best effort?

_**The Dean/Burton/Hayton Household**_

Becca Dean slouched on her sofa and put her feet up. She stared at her bright yellow shirt and threw her ridiculous chicken hat on the floor. She slumped down the sofa and sat staring at the flat around her.

_'I've got to get out of this job...My hair is greasy, I smell like a bucket of KFC and I swear my skin is getting worse...'_

_...'But I really need the money...'_

_'How are we gonna cope? As if I'm really ready to have a baby...'_

_'Bring on Christmas...'_

_**Friday 15th September**_

_**6:55 pm**_

_'Oh no! Just stick with the silver top!' _

Marie was stood in the bathroom and was debating whether or not to wear a gold top or a silver top...The cinema showing was at 7:20 pm and O.B was expected to turn up in less than 5 mins. Marie started to panic...

_'Or maybe the gold?...'_

She had finally got half of her outfit on: she was wearing a short-ish black skirt with black high shoes. She had her hair neatly straightened and had her make-up perfected - using plenty of mascara and eyeliner. Now, all she need was a top: but couldn't decided between a gold swirly v-neck top or a silver holter-neck.

_'No no! The silver!'_

She shoved the silver top on, while carefully trying to avoid her hair. She stared at her image in the mirror.

_'It will have to do...'_

She put her black beads over her head...but managed to get them caught with her dangly earrings...

_'Ow ow ow ow! Just...unhook...it carefully...'_

She carefully freed the beads and rubbed her sore earlope. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror and nodded satisfied with her choice of outfit...

_Ding dong..._

Marie heard the doorbell ring and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. She quickly double-checked herself in the mirror and picked up her handbag.

She slowly walked down the stairs and tried to get the door, but Sonny managed to pip her at the post...

_'Oh my god...Is it him at the door? Keep calm...Breathe...Don't drink any alcohol... Why am I getting so nervous, anyway? I mean its only...'_

Sonny answered the door and there stood O.B, in jeans and a shirt. Marie reached the last step and stood kind of staring...

"O.B..." said Marie quietly. "Hi!"

"Hi! Umm...how are you?" said O.B, smiling.

_'Say something quick otherwise, he will think you are just some staring loony!'_

"Hang on... I know you..." said Sonny to O.B, a smile sort of approaching his face.

Marie immediatly turned to Sonny.

"Oh yeah! Now I do...You're the guy I saw last week who went out with Marie and tried to copp off with her at the door..."

Marie stood, trying not to gawp at Sonny, and hoped that she hadn't gone red...

_'Cheers, Sonny...Way to break the ice! I'm so glad he's not my brother...'_

Marie laughed nervously. "Okay, let's go, shall we?..." she said as she pratically pushed O.B out with her and closed the door.

"Goodnight!" waved Sonny, evilily as the door was about to shut. Marie put her hands over her face and looked up at O.B, who hadn't run off with fright...

"I am so sorry...You know, kids these days..." said Marie, smiling nervously.

_'Kids these days? He's not even related to you and yet you are apologising for him... I swear Sonny has a personal vendetta against me...'_

"It's okay, you don't have to apologise...I was exactly like that as a teenager!" said O.B, smiling.

_'Aww...That's sweet...I bet he wasn't like Sonny...'_

"Okay! Shall we call a taxi?" asked O.B, holding his mobile phone, "We can decide what films there are when we get there..."

"Sounds like a plan!" smiled Marie

_**Later that Evening...**_

_**10:35 pm**_

The taxi pulled up outside the SU Bar and Marie and O.B stepped out. O.B went up to pay for the taxi, while Marie stood outside, holding her arms as they were cold. She felt bad about O.B paying the taxi fare as he had bought the cinema tickets and paid for one set of drinks...

Marie watched O.B as he payed for the tickets.

_'He seems to be too good to be true...Perhaps I'm just not used to nice men after the dreaded-ex, Adam - seemed nice then turned out to be a complete jerk! I can't have my heart broken again...But I think he's different...'_

The taxi went awayand O.B walked over to Marie and smiled at her.

"So, what did you think of the film?" he asked.

They had gone to see an advanced screening of _'Children of Men'_ - a bit of a weird film where all the human race was disapearing and it was Clive Owen's job to save the world. Marie didn't know what to think about it...

"Ummm...very interesting!" nodded Marie.

"So, I wasn't the only one who thought it to be quite weird and farfetch'd!" smiled O.B

Marie laughed. "I honestly tried to get into it - but it was just a really difficult plot to get hold of!"

"Its okay for women, as they've got Clive Owen to stare at all throughout the film, while men don't have anything, except if they're real sci-fi geeks!"

Marie shook her head. "To be honest, I don't really like Clive Owen, that much...But hang on...men can stare at the ex-wife of his...umm...I forgotten her name already!" said Marie, giggling.

"Oh _her! _" said O.B, nodding, "Err...she was okay...ish..."

Marie laughed and they carried on walking, until O.B stopped.

"Umm...Marie?" asked O.B, looking straight at her.

"Yeah..."

"Did you want to go back to Tony's for a drink...or something? I mean, Tony and Dom won't be there as they have gone out somewhere..."

_'I thought he was going to announce that he was gay or something...'_

"I'd like that!" said Marie, smiling.

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brian Household**_

_**10:50 pm**_

O.B opened the door to the flat and Marie looked around. Tony Hutchinson's flat was very spacious and modern - more of a house rather than a flat. O.B. switched on the overhead ceiling lights and the whole place brightened up. Marie walked further up into the cosy living area, with a cushy sofa and a big TV. It seemed strange to Marie that one man would want all of this to himself... She peered across to where O.B was in the kitchen and she could tell that Tony obviously had a lot of money. She looked a saw a big staircase which obviously led to the bedrooms.

There was a wooden counter which had some photos in nice frames. Marie walked over to the counter and had a look at some of the photos. She picked up the first one. It was of Tony, dressed in his chef's uniform and standing outside Il Gnosh. Marie picked up the second one. It was Tony and Dom, at some party. She picked up the third one. It was of a little boy who had brown hair. He looked about four or five. She smiled and put it down. She picked up the last one, but it was quite a different one. It was Tony, with his arm around a pretty blonde woman and she was holding a baby - a girl, Marie thought. They looked like the perfect happy family.

_'I didn't know Tony had a family...'_

"Do you want a drink?" asked O.B, peeping round from the kitchen.

Marie put down the photo quickly. "Umm...yeah, err...same as what your having..."

O.B disappeared back into the kitchen area. Marie stared back the picture. She knew that they were many secrets among everyone...secrets which were kept behind lock and key...as Marie was soon to find out, as this was not your common-garden village...

Marie walked away from the photos and made her way to the sofa and sat down. She couldn't help but think about the photo - but didn't want to ask about it either...

O.B reappeared back from the kitchen and walked over to Marie, who was reading the TV guide, conviently left on the coffee table. He handed her over her drink and she smiled, polietly. He sat down and put his drink on the coffee table.

"It's a nice place that Tony's got here - he must be made of money! I'd love to have a place half as decent as this!" smiled Marie.

O.B nodded. "I know - I also get the jealousy monster over this place - even though I lodge here!"

Marie sighed. "I hated living with my parents...there's just a point in your life where you have to escape or you'll know you'll end up in the pyschiatric ward..."

O.B laughed. "Parents - funny creatures they are: You think they're God when your little, then when you reach the age of twelve, you start to question their authority, then when you're teenagers, you just hate them completly and then when you hit adulthood, you start to get over the teenage angst..."

"Correct!" said Marie, laughing "How very accurate..."

"You just look at teenagers and think - did I ever used to be like that?"

Marie rolled her eyes."I know! Especially Sonny - honestly, he's the world's worst teen!"

Marie and O.B sat still and looked at each other. They both leaned in towards each other...

_'Yay! This is it!...I'm so glad that it is now rather than last time...'_

Then suddenly, the door flung open and a drunken Tony fell to the ground, followed by a sober-ish Dom.

_'Way to Spoil A Romantic moment! Why does everything seem to interrupt us from kissing! Is there like some magnet repelling us from each other!'_

"HELLO! My dear friends!" said Tony, loudly from the floor.

"How did he get into that state!" asked O.B, walking over to pull Tony up.

"I don't know!" said Dom, puzzled. "He kept odering drinks behind my back!"

Tony sat up off the floor and smiled, boozily. "Did I ever...s-say that...the wait-tress at...err...whatever it's called...is very...git!"

"Did he just say 'Very git?' " asked O.B, trying to pull Tony up off the floor. Tony was a dead-weight and his drunkeness didn't help O.B and Dom, who were trying to pull him up.

"I think he means 'fit'" said Dom, heaving Tony up to his feet.

"Where did you take him? Beer City!" said O.B sarcastically.

"We went to a few pubs outside Chester!" sighed Dom, staring at his drunk brother.

Marie looked at Tony who was half-way from collapsing. Tony turned his head to face Marie and waved at her.

"Ahhhh...It's the... pretty one!" laughed Tony, "She calls me 'Tony'!"

"You _are _Tony!" said O.B, frowning.

"So...I...am!" laughed Tony, manically. "Hellooo...Mary!" he said, stumbling over to Marie.

"It's Marie, Tony!" smiled Marie, looking at a very different Tony, then when she did at Il Gnosh.

"Ah, yes...M-A-R...I-E!" said Tony, slurring his words. "D'you know...If I were...two years younger...I'd be asking you out!"

"Come on now, Tony. Time for bed!" Dom said, grabbing Tony's arm.

"Call...me!" waved Tony to Marie, as Dom tried to almost drag Tony up the stairs.

Marie stood up from the sofa and tip-toed around the sofa. O.B was standing, watching to see if Dom had him under any control.

"I best go now..." said Marie, "It's getting late..."

O.B nodded. "Yeah, I better go too and help narcoleptic Tony up the stairs..."

Marie laughed. "Okay...Thanks for tonight, it was really nice!"

"Yeah! I'll give you a call tommorow!" said O.B, smiling at Marie.

They both looked at each other again, wanting to...

"O.B! Really need a hand here!" said Dom, with Tony's arm around him and trying to get Tony to move his legs.

"Bye!" said Marie, leaving the flat.

"Bye..." said O.B watching her as he closed the door...

Marie stood outside and sighed.

_'Oh well. There's always next time...'_

**END OF CHAPTER 5**

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Sorry it isn't as long as the others - but I promise the next chapter will be slightly longer! Just finalised my ending for this story - it's gonna be shocking! Thanks to all my reviewers! Please, please review if you haven't as I would love to hear from you about what you think/future hopes/suggestions :)**

**Chapter 6 should be on by the end of the week! I've got to write 25 more chapters!**

**Love Grace xxx**


	7. Holding Onto The Past

Chapter 6

Holding Onto The Past

Rating - T

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of the characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Tuesday 19th September**_

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**5:30 pm**_

Marie was sat at the Valentine's table and was painting her nails. She kept her eye on the nails while flicking through random television programs. She stared at the TV, but nothing caught her eye.

On the TV, an advert for the film _'Children of Men' _came on and Marie couldn't help but watch.

_'Not as good as I hoped...' _thought Marie as she put a coat of nail varnish on her nail. _'At least O.B was there to be my anecdote to the film...'_

Marie carried on painting her nails, but couldn't get the date off her mind...

She stopped and put down her nail varnish.

_'Oh no..._

_...You've fallen for him...'_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**5:35 pm**_

Mel Burton sat at her desk and fiddled about with her computer. She looked at the screen, sighed and moved her chair backwards. Sophie, Marie and Louise had gone home and it was Mel's turn to lock up. Unfortunately for Mel, the computer had crashed as she tried to shut it down...

_'This is hopeless! Why won't it work!' _thought Mel to herself.

She moved forward to the desk and typed in a few combinations.

Yet still, the computer was still frozen...

_'I can't believe this! They taught this in College - but it won't work! Either the computer's bust or the teacher was wrong... There must be a manual somewhere...'_

Mel bent down and looked in one of the drawers for the manual. She moved several papers and started rummaging through lots of important documents.

_'God, Louise keeps so much crap down here, its unbelievable...'_

Mel got up off her chair and decided it was time to stretch her legs. She walked over to the back end of the salon and entered the office. The office was dark and empty. Mel switched on the light and paced her way around the office. She opened the grey filing cabinet and rummaged around for a computer manual. She pulled up a booklet and smiled at the fact that it was the right one.

_'Finally! Now I can fix that computer...'_

She closed the cabinet draw, smiling at that fact that she could finally go home soon. She made her way out of the office and into the main salon. She was about to walk back to her seat when she stopped and looked at the window. She walked closer to the window and peered outside. Warren was standing in the street, with his arm around a brunette girl, smiling. She sighed and turned away from the window.

_'I see Warren moves on pretty quickly...I need to meet someone new...'_

She sat down on her seat and got back to work with fixing the computer...

But during that time, she felt lonelier than ever...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student's Flat**_

Kris, Olivia, Jess and Will were sat down in front of the TV, watching an American soap drama. Jess was sitting in the armchair, while Kris, Olivia and Will were sitting on the sofa. Their eyes were transfixed on the TV Screen. The woman on the TV was being held in the arms of a handsome American Actor, declaring his love for her. Jess looked bored of watching it and had started filing her nails, while Kris, Olivia and Will were on the edge of their seats, getting caught up in the drama.

"Come on, Miranda! Tell him that you love him!'' said Olivia, passing the box of chocolates round to Kris.

Kris shook his head. ''No no no! She's in the love with that Priest she's been having an affair with...oh...what's his name...''

''Father Morgan'' replied Olivia and Will.

The TV shone brightly in their eyes. Jess rolled her eyes at the TV and continued to file her nails.

_''I just wanted to say that...I have some news...'' _

''Real life doesn't work like that! It's more complicated! How can she be with a Priest one minute and yet still manage to survive a Plane Crash in the same day!'' sighed Jess.

Kris turned his head to face Jess. ''But that's the whole fun of it! Watching impossible storylines and scandalous affairs! It's like _Dynasty _or _Footballer's Wives_!''

''You mean Trash TV?'' replied Jess

''No, Jess. Correction. _Good _trash TV!'' said Will, smiling.

The handsome man began to speak._ 'What is it Miranda? Tell me!' _

''God, they are all just such beautiful people!'' said Olivia, smiling happily.

''Come on Miranda! Tell the news!'' said Will, moving closer to the TV.

The woman on the TV had a serious look on her face.

Will, Kris and Olivia, moved further up the sofa with their eyes glued to the TV. Kris popped a chocolate in his mouth.

_'I'm pregnant...''_

''OH MY GOD!'' shouted Will, Kris and Olivia at the TV.

_'...with Father Morgan's baby...'_

''NO!'' they all said, shouting at the TV.

The man on the TV pushed Miranda away and the credits began to roll.

''Miranda, you hussy!'' shouted Kris at the TV. ''How could you do that to Ace!''

''Yeah, but next week it is revealed that Ace is gay...'' said Olivia, choosing a chocolate from the selection box.

''Not Ace too!'' said Will as he popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth.

At that point, the door opened and Joe rushed in. He dropped his keys on the table, dumped his bag on the floor and quickly rushed to the sofa. Olivia, Kris and Will all stared at him as he came running over.

''Did I miss it! Did I miss it! Has _Sunset Nights _finished!'' said Joe, frantically.

''Yep. And Miranda told Ace that she is pregnant with Father Morgan's baby...'' said Will, excitedly.

''Damn it! I wanted to see that!'' whined Joe. He looked around. "Where's Zoe?''

''She's in her room - she said she had to write an essay'' said Kris, flicking through the channels on the TV.

Joe sat down and stuffed a chocolate in his mouth. _'Should I tell her now?'_

_**Zoe's Room**_

Zoe sat on her bed with her laptop blaring in front of here, looking at what to do next. In the background, music was playing quietly. Zoe liked having music as she studied - it helped her concentrate more. She sighed and stared up at her Audrey Hepburn poster for inspiration.

''Oh Audrey...You are a movie star icon...How did Antony Minghella reflect the inner struggles of the characters in The English Patient?" said Zoe, staring straight into Audrey's poster.

The poster stayed the same on the wall. Zoe sighed.

''Of course you wouldn't know...You're a poster for God''s sake!''

Zoe hugged her pillow on her bed. _'How am I going to finish this essay? I have only written 160 words and I need to write more...''_

There was a gentle knock at Zoe's door. Zoe turned to face the door. ''Come in...'' she said, staring at her laptop.

Joe walked into the room, holding a mug. He waved to Zoe and smiled. Zoe gave a smile and looked back at her laptop quickly.

_'Joe...Okay, keep calm...Show no signs of wanting him...'_

''Hello Bookworm!'' said Joe as he sat down on Zoe's bed. Zoe scooched down and Joe presented her with a flower mug. ''I thought it best to bring you sustenance - its Coffee; I hope you don't mind...Give you a caffeine boost!''

'''Thanks!'' smiled Zoe, ''I need something to keep me going with this essay! The English Patient is hardly one of my favourite films...'' She took a sip of her coffee.

''Ooo...Anthony Mingella! Sounds exciting!'' said Joe, sarcastically.

Zoe threw a cushion at Joe playfully. ''Hey! At least I'm doing something remotely interesting rather than History of the Polka Dot!''

Joe laughed. ''It's very thrilling, actually! When you become a famous film writer and you flick through you fashion magazines, you will see _my _fashion designs all over those gorgeous, anorexic models!''

Zoe laughed as she took another sip of her coffee. ''Did you want something, or did you just come into here to annoy me...? I already had to leave the sitting area, as the Soap Triplets were 'ooing and 'aaahhh-ing' over some couple over the TV...

"Sor-ry!" said Joe, moving away from Zoe, "Didn't mean to get in your way..."

He got up off the bed and Zoe looked at her laptop again.

_'Maybe that was a tad too harsh... He did bring you coffee...'_

"Joe?"

Joe turned around as he was about to open the door,

"Sorry, I didn't mean it to come across like that. Stay if you want...I could do with some company" smiled Zoe.

Joe smiled and sat back down on the bed. Zoe began typing on her laptop.

Joe looked at Zoe, as if to say something...

"Zoe? Can I ask you something?" said Joe, quietly.

The keys on Zoe's laptop clacked as she began typing furiously. "As long as it isn't any weird men's problems or something dodgy. Spill."

Joe looked at Zoe, typing. Zoe looked into the Joe's reflection on her laptop screen. She turned around to face him. He looked really nervous - his face gave it away. Zoe started to panic...

_'Oh no...It's not what I'm thinking is it?...'_

"I know how harsh I treated you in the past..." Joe began, "And that was wrong of me... But lately I've been thinking...''

_'Oh Joe...'_

''...That maybe we should give us another try?" said Joe, reaching for Zoe's hand. Zoe watched as he clasped his hand in hers. Zoe looked up at Joe. He looked genuine enough...

_'How can I ever trust you again? I loved you...but can I ever put myself through all that again?..._

_But I still care for him..._

_One more chance won't hurt..._

_...but I could get hurt..._

_But he's changed..._

_...But so have you because of it...'_

Zoe looked up at Joe. "I don't know, Joe..."

Joe looked into Zoe's eyes. "Look, all I'm asking for is one date...Just one and I will personally prove to you that I am not the same person that I was..."

Zoe looked away and looked at her Audrey Hepburn poster again.

_'If Love can happen in the movies, then why shouldn't I allow myself to be loved...'_

Zoe looked up to Joe. "One date only. And this doesn't necessarily mean that we are getting into a relationship, agreed? This is a time to prove yourself, Joe Spencer, so I wouldn't mess it up if I were you...'

Joe's face lit up and he kissed Zoe's hand. "You will not regret this Zoe Carpenter!"

He pranced about around Zoe's room and then exited the door smiling.

Zoe looked at her work on her laptop and reached for her coffee again.

_'Let's hope I won't regret it...'_

_**Hollyoaks Village**_

_**That Evening**_

The village was quiet for a Tuesday and hardly anyone seemed to be walking around. The usual crowd of people leaving work had disappeared and the school kids were no-where to be seen. Max Cunningham opened the outside door to The Loft and stepped out. He took his flat keys and began to walk down the steps. He grabbed his mobile phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. Not much to his surprise, there were no messages...

He began walking down the main row of shops and looked at the Drive N' Buy. He stopped and sighed as he looked at the shop that meant everything to him was now in the hands of someone else...

He began walking again, but still looked at The Drive n' Buy as he walked on by...

...until he felt someone bump into him.

Max started to apologise. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was goi..."

He looked up and saw who he had bumped into. It was the familiar face of O.B.

Another thing he had lost...

"Hi...How are you?" began Max, he said and gave O.B a brief smile.

O.B expression didn't change. He tried not to look at Max and looked at the floor. "I'm good, yeah...A bit busy, so I best be going..."

O.B looked up at Max briefly, and then looked back at the floor.

"It's good to see you again...Tom wants to see you soon. He misses not having you around..."

"Yeah...I'll have to see him sometime..." said O.B nodding. "Well...I best go. Bye."

O.B walked off in the opposite direction and Max watched sadly as he saw his once best friend walk into the distance.

Max sighed and continued to make his way to his flat...thinking about what could have been...

_**The Valentine Household**_

Calvin walked into the door and found Marie sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine, trying to take her mind off O.B...

"Hi!" said Calvin as he walked over and put his jacket on the back of the chair.

"Hi..." said Marie, staring into her magazine.

"How was work?" asked Calvin walking over to the kitchen.

"Oh, the same really. Didn't have very many customers..." she said as she flicked the page over.

Calvin walked over and sat down on the sofa next to Marie. He looked at Marie. She stared at her magazine page, but wasn't taking it in. Calvin sensed something was up...

"What's up?" asked Calvin, pulling the magazine page down to see Marie's face.

"Nothing..." smiled Marie and she covered her face with the magazine again.

"Really? It doesn't seem like it..." said Calvin, looking at Marie.

_'How does he always know how I feel?...'_

Marie dropped the magazine on the floor and sighed. "Okay! You got me! Wanna know how I feel? Okay, I have fallen for O.B who is still in love with Mel! Sastisfied?"

"I don't know why I even care...He's just a friend, so why should I care if he's in love with his ex?"

Calvin returned from the kitchen carrying two drinks. He gave Marie a drink and sat down next to Marie on the floor. He sighed and put his drink down. "Why do you think he's still in love with Mel?"

Marie sighed. "Just a feeling I get...When we went out to the cinema, he was talking about past relationships, but he never referred to Mel as being a 'past' relationship. Plus, whenever he mentioned her name, he would go all quiet...and he had that look that men always get when they're in love..."

"I see...but how do you know how he really feels?"

Marie stared down at the floor. "Exactly what I've been asking myself..."

"Do you think of him as more of a friend?" asked Calvin, picking up Marie's empty glass.

Marie looked at Calvin. "You're beginning to sound like Jerry Springer...or one of those Agony Aunts on TV..."

Calvin laughed. "So, do you?"

Marie clasped her hands together.

"Oh, I don't know Calvin...Maybe I am...I don't know...But I'm not depressed over that. I'm just depressed that God has a warped sense of humour and he likes me clinging to the nearest guy I can find...Even the Postman won't deliver any more mail to me personally as I just talk to him for hours...

I haven't been here very long and already I'm brooding over some guy...

Perhaps I should just become a lesbian...It would be so much easier as I wouldn't have to worry about men..."

Calvin shook his head and smiled. Marie turned to face him.

"What? What's so funny!" she said smiling.

"You reminded me of when you were fourteen! You were always stressing over one thing or another……"

"I was not!" protested Marie," I was laid back! I wanted to be a Ski Instructor!"

Calvin turned and raised an eyebrow. "You can't Ski…."

"So? I could learn……Anyway, _you _wanted to be part of the Power Rangers! You even made up your own name - ummm…..I think it was…….. Calzode!"

Marie laughed as Calvin got embarrassed.

"It was a different world back then……." sighed Calvin.

"I know the feeling...Loving someone but them not knowing how you feel..."

Marie turned to face Calvin. "Really? I didn't know that...You never told me..."

"The person who I loved...well still love...She's a very unique girl - smart, funny and pretty...When I'm around here, I can be myself around her and she sees the beauty in everyone that she meets...I care for her in ways that she doesn't know, but I'm too afraid to tell her how I feel...

You have to talk to O.B and tell him how you feel, otherwise it will just eat you up inside and you end up too scared to tell the person how you feel..."

Marie looked at Calvin and she sighed. "You're right. I will have to tell him...soon... Thanks..." she said and gave Calvin a brief smile.

Calvin smiled at reached for Marie's hand. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy..."

He got up off the floor and walked over to the kitchen. Marie remained on the floor and thought as Calvin's words haunted in her mind...

_**That Night...**_

Marie sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't sleep and was getting restless of constantly waking up in the middle of the night. She looked at her window and saw it was pitch black outside. She sighed and flopped back onto her pillow.

_'This is getting out of hand. He's on your mind every second of every minute and you can't even sleep because he plaguing your thoughts..._

_How can you fall for someone when you only been here for 3 weeks..._

_But I really like him..._

_He's probably not even that interested anyway..._

_And's he probably still in love with Mel..._

_You're gonna have to talk to him...'_

Marie lay down on the bed and tried to close her eyes.

_'I never knew Calvin had been in love...I wonder who it - '_

Marie sat up and realised who Calvin was talking about...

She sighed and lay down on her bed. She looked up to the ceiling.

_'Thanks God. Your sense of humour really amuses me...'_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**10:00 pm**_

The salon from the outside was dark and looked cold. All the beauty products had been stored away for the night and the salon lights hung above the ceiling, waiting to be switched on...

But little did the residents of Hollyoaks know was that someone was inside the salon...

In the back office, the door lay ajar and a stream of light flooded into the darkness...

Inside the office, the lights were on full ablaze and there were several photos on the desk.

The desk chair was facing the filing cabinet...

An arm can be clearly seen on the armrest...

The deskchair swiveled round and the face of Warren appeared. He looked down at all the photos and sighed. He had something in his hand...

In his hand, was a photo of Louise...

He smiled at the photo and touched the photo...

"Soon..."

**END OF CHAPTER 6**

**A/N: Hope you liked the chapter...This probably isn't one of my better chapters...The next chapter will be much longer, I promise! Thank-you all for the reviews and hopes so far:) Please please review this chapter, as I would like some feedback!**

**I have worked out the whole plan and chapter plans for this story - it will get a lot more interesting...**

**Please review!**

**Grace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	8. True Emotions

Chapter 7

True Emotions

Rating - T

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Hollyoaks Village**_

_**9:05 pm**_

Marie Roberts walked up the street and looked up at the sky. The grey clouds doomed over the village and it looked set to rain. The streets were deserted at this time of night and it felt like a ghost-town...

She carried on walking, but felt butterflies rage about in her stomach...

_'You can do this...Just tell him'_

She looked around at the different buildings and headed for Tony Hutchinson's flat. She nervously pulled on her hair and felt like she was about to take an exam. She opened her handbag and put a Tic-Tac in her mouth.

_'What if he laughs in my face and closes the door? What if Tony answers the door! Or Dom? What do I say? _

_I can't get heart-broken again..._

_I've only known him for about a month...or so..._

_This is ridiculous! You've fallen for this guy who may or may not be in love with his ex and you've just found out that after all this time, Calvin has feelings for you..._

_I must have been a love-starved witch in my past life and now I'm compensating for it...'_

She adjusted her handbag over her shoulder and carried on walking.

_'At least you haven't fallen properly in love with him...That would be a disaster...Then you'd know that you've got a problem...'_

Marie stopped at the entrance to the flats. She stared at the door and sighed nervously.

_'Well, this is it. No turning back now...'_

She tried the front door and to her surprise, it was open...

_'Last chance to back off...'_

Marie closed the door and headed for the stairs...

_**Earlier That Day...**_

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student's Flat**_

_**4:30 pm**_

The student flat seemed quieter than normal that day...

Kris, Zoe and Joe were sat around the table, munching on their food. Kris chewed on another piece of toast, while Zoe and Joe both had sandwhiches. Will was sat on the sofa, reading a book, while Olivia was sitting on the kitchen floor, sorting out clothes. The radio played softly in the background

and the students were enjoying the peace around them. Joe and Zoe were exchanging smiles to each other whilst at the table. Kris was humming to himself, while Olivia had her iPod plugged in her ears.

Just at the moment, the students heard a slam of a door and Jess stormed in, holding some clothes in her hands. Her face said it all and she walked directly over to Olivia. Kris, Zoe, Joe and Will looked at Jess and prepared for the worst...

Jess poked Olivia in the shoulder and tapped her foot. Olivia frowned at Jess and took her headphones out of her ears.

"Are you okay, Jess?" asked Olivia, staring up at a fuming Jess.

"Am I okay...AM I OKAY!" laughed Jess, sarcastically. "NO! I'M NOT OKAY!".

Jess held up a pair of lacy knickers in her hand and shoved them right in front of Olivia's face. Will, Kris, Joe and Zoe leaned up from their seats and tried to get a closer look at watch Jess was holding up. The knickers looked like they had been shrunk two sizes too small and the colour was a muddy purpley-green...

"JUST LOOK AT MY UNDERWEAR! _THESE _WERE PURE LACE! NOW LOOK AT THEM! They're ruined!" cried Jess. "Some BRAINLESS idiot who last did the washing at the Launderette put them on a BOIL wash and mixed them in with colours! They used to be white!"

Jess turned around to face Joe, Zoe, Kris and Will. They all quickly turned away and got back to what they were doing. Jess looked like steam was about to come out of her ears...

"COME ON! OWN UP! Who did it! Huh? Who did the last laundry?"

Olivia looked up at Jess and sighed. "Look, _I _did the last laundry...but I never saw what happened to your knickers...Sorry...Just didn't realise...Anyway, it was an accident anyone can make!"

Jess looked at Olivia with fury. "Sorry! SORRY! These cost a fortune!"

She held up the knickers again. Joe stood up off his seat and leaned forward to get a closer look at the knickers... Zoe kicked his foot under the table.

"Oww! I was only seeing the damage!" laughed Joe, quietly.

"Yeah right..." said Zoe, sarcastically.

"You better pay me compensation!" demanded Jess as she stood staring at Olivia.

Olivia stood up off the floor and came up to Jess's level.

"I'm sorry Jess...I didn't do it intentionally...Like I said, It was an accident..."

Jess shook her head. "Accident or not! These knickers need to be paid for! I can't wear these now!"

Kris turned to face Jess. "Don't be so harsh Jess...It was an accident, like Olivia said, so she doesn't have to pay you anything!"

"Well, it's still her fault! _She _should have been more careful!"

Olivia shook her head and walked away from Jess, heading to her room. Kris, Zoe, Joe and Will all stood staring at Jess.

"If you're _so _picky over your washing, then why don't _you _do it instead of leaving it for other people to do!" said Kris, accusingly.

A bang of a door was heard and Olivia re-appeared with a bag in her hand. She walked back over to Jess and stood next to her. She opened up the bag.

Jess sighed and gave a small smile to Olivia.

"Thank-you! At least you are willing to pay for them..."

Olivia shook her head and grabbed some underwear out of the bag. She aimed it and threw it at Jess. Jess stood there shocked, as the pair of dotty knickers landed on her head...

"There you go, Jess!" said Olivia, dusting off her hands. "You can have _my _underwear if you want some so badly!..."

Kris, Joe, Zoe and Will tried to hold in their laughter, but little smiles escaped onto their faces. Jess reached up and pulled the knickers off her head. She held them up in her hand and inspected them. She threw them on the floor. She stormed off and went into her room. Kris got up and smiled at Olivia. Olivia sighed and put the bag on the floor.

"Well done Olivia! You definitely showed her!" he said as he put his arm around Olivia.

Jess re-appeared from her room and ran back over to Olivia.

"YOU COMPLETE COW! HOW DARE YOU THROW YOUR UNDERWEAR AT ME!"

Jess tried to launch herself at Olivia, but Olivia ducked away.

"ME? THAT'S RICH COMING FROM YOU!" scoffed Olivia

Jess face turned to anger. Olivia took one look and Jess and ran. Jess exhaled sharply and started to follow her. Olivia ducked behind the sofa.

"COME BACK HERE, OLIVIA JOHNSON! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!"

"Jess, I really think you are overreacting!….It's only underwear!" said Olivia, standing up slowly.

Jess's stood with her mouth open. She spotted Olivia's green top on the sofa and grabbed it. She walked over to the table and grabbed Joe's sandwhich out of his hand.

"Hey! I was eating that!" protested Joe

Jess opened up the pickle sandwhich and held up both the top and the sandwhich piece.

"Let's see how _you _like it!" threatened Jess as her hand with the sandwhich hovered over the top. Olivia ran over to Jess.

"NO! Please Jess! I'm really sorry about your underwear, but its silly ruining someone else's clothes deliberately!"

"IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE UNDERWEAR! It's about us! You never want to hang out with me anymore or do anything, since you've found your new friends... And I know you bitch about me behind my back!"

"You know I'm still friends with you Jess, but it doesn't mean I have to spend 24 hours a day with you!" said Olivia, "Just put down the sandwhich! You're being petty now!"

"PETTY! YOU COW!" said Jess, as she threw the sandwhich down on the floor.

"Look! Just calm down!" said Kris, coming up to Jess.

"PIPE DOWN, KRIS!" shouted Jess, "This is between me and Olivia!"

"STOP BEING A DRAMA QUEEN!" Olivia shouted,

"BITCH!" shouted Jess.

Olivia couldn't take it anymore...

"SLAPPER!"

Olivia realised she had gone too far and covered her mouth. Jess stopped and shook her head at Olivia. A look of sadness came across her face...

"You've changed..." said Jess, quietly.

Olivia stared at Jess as she left to go to her room. Zoe, Joe, Kris and Zoe all stared at Olivia, who sat down on the sofa and covered her head in her hands...

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**4:50 pm**_

"The Ultimate Cosmo Horoscope Special...'What sort of person are you?'...Does anyone want me to tell them?" asked Sophie, reading down from her magazine.

It was another quiet Wednesday for the salon and there was one customer who was left on the list...who was late...

Louise walked in from the back office and stared at the clock. She turned round. Sophie was sat at the nail bar, reading _Cosmopolitan_. Mel was sitting at the desk, also reading a magazine. Marie was reading a make-up catalogue on a stool...

"Louise! You'll let me test you! Go on..." smiled Sophie. "What's you star sign?"

Louise smiled and shook her head. "If you must...I'm a Virgo..."

"Virgo..." Sophie scanned down the page with her finger. "A-ha! Virgo... You are a secretive, but strong person. You will have future issues in your life to deal with that may throw you off course, but you will get back on the road...Sounds interesting!"

Louise sat down on a spare stool. "I don't really believe in Horoscopes..."

"Okay...I'll do mine and Mel's..." said Sophie, folding her magazine spine backwards "Gemini...You're bubbly, honest and a good friend. You may not have the man of your dreams, but the planets are shifting and someone new will sweep you off your feet. Remember: Go looking in the wrong places and a shock will become of you...

Well, didn't get the last bit...As for men, I'm accounted for, but that's good news for you, Mel!"

Mel rolled her eyes. "These horoscopes lie! They're a bunch of crap..."

Sophie shook her head. "I believe in them! Now...Marie!"

Marie looked up and grumbled.

_'Let me guess... 'You will get hit by a bus'...'_

"Horoscopes never bring me any luck..."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly...What's your star sign?"

"Capricorn..."

Sophie flicked over to the next page. "Capricorn...You can be quite quiet and often don't speak up...but you're intentions are true and you a reliable person. Get the issue sorted and you'll be set for a loved-up October! Meanwhile, you will hear something that you may not like...Oooh! Sounds like it's going to be an interesting month for you!"

Marie shook her head and turned back to her page on lipsticks...But the reality of the horoscopes was to be very real...

_'It's right about the pressing issue...I better sort it out...'_

_**Il Gnosh Cafe **_

_**5:15 pm**_

Dominic Reilly sat down on a free chair and relaxed. After nearly 2 hours straight, he had been on his feet serving customers. The lunchtime rush had nearly disappeared and there was only a few sixth form girls who were drinking coffee inside the cafe. Tony was standing at the bar and was checking some receipts...

Dom sat and watched the people walk by past the window. He smiled as he saw a young woman, pushing a buggy with a baby past the window.

_'Why can't I have that?...' _thought Dom.

A man and a woman came walking past the window, holding hands. They looked really in love and Dom stared at them jealously...

He was about to turn around when he saw a familiar girl walking past the window...

He quickly turned around and looked closer to see who it was...

It was Tina McQueen...

Dom got up off his chair and quickly raced to the door. He opened the door and stepped outside. He saw Tina walking off into the distance.

"Tina!" called Dom, walking forward to try to catch up with her. She didn't turn around and he watched as she went off into the distance. He sighed and stopped running.

_'That's the girl of your dreams...you just can't grab hold of her that easily...'_

He sighed again and walked back into Il Gnosh...wondering when he would next see her...

_**The Dean/Burton/Hayton Household**_

_**6:00 pm**_

Becca Dean turned off her vacuum cleaner for a moment and stopped. She put her hands on her back, taking it as a sign to sit down and stop doing the chores. She unplugged the vacuum cleaner and sat down on the sofa, sighing at the comfort. She spread herself out on the sofa and felt herself relax for the first time that day.

_'Thank god...Peace and quiet to myself...'_

Becca reached for the TV remote control and turned on the TV. A cooking program appeared on the television and a man was showing how to make a cheese soufflé. Becca stared at the TV and felt her stomach grumble. She had cravings for all kinds of food and even though Becca wasn't a keen cheese person before her pregnancy...she now couldn't get enough of the stuff...

She stared hungrily at the television...

_'Yum...Food...'_

She flicked over to another TV channel as the food program was making her feel very hungry...The next program was some sort of hospital documentary. Becca leaned forward, intrigued. She liked watching factual programs and it was also Becca's only real way now of finding out life outside of the flat...

Becca stared at a very handsome doctor talking about some procedure. Becca sat back and started to watch...

_'Good. A TV program that doesn't contain PC Plum...'_

Then suddenly, the scene switched from the doctor to a line of babies in incubators. The babies on TV were very tiny and had lots of wires attached to their bodies connecting them to life-support machines. Scared, Becca grabbed the TV remote control and switched to a different program. Thinking about her baby was had to grasp, but watching what might happen to it, was too much for Becca to handle...

Suddenly, Becca's phone began to chirp. Becca looked around and tried to locate where her phone was... She reached her hand down the side of the sofa and found her mobile tucked nestled between the two sofa cushions. She half-expected it to be a text from Justin...

She looked at the display and opened up her new message. It appeared and Becca's eyes widened at who had sent the message...

It was Jake...

She scrolled down and read the message:

_'Hi Becca, It's Jake. How are you? How's the baby? x'_

Becca stared at her phone and read the message again. It was totally out-of-the-blue and Becca didn't know what to do...

She pressed a few buttons on her phone.

_'Delete: Yes/No?'_

Becca stared at her phone and her finger hovered over the 'Yes' button. She looked at it again. She sighed and threw her mobile on the floor...

Becca had already made too many decisions in her life...She didn't want to have to face the ones which she thought she had left behind...

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brian Household**_

_**9:15 pm**_

Marie walked up the door of Tony Hutchinson's flat and stopped outside the door. She stood staring at the door, wandering what to do next...

_'What are you doing Marie? You're standing outside the door, on a Wednesday Night, hoping that O.B will be in, so you can tell him what? This is crazy...You've officially upgraded from the rank of Hopeless Romantic to Stalker...'_

She walked up to the green door and held her hand up to the door, as if to knock. She stopped again and twiddled her hair around her finger.

_'Hi. Umm...Just popped round to say that...I like you and...will you marry me? ...No, no...I like you...and I'm glad being your friend?..._

_I like you...but I know you're still in love with Mel?_

_I like you but, I have been getting mixed signals from you and I'm confused?_

_I like you...but I'm actually a giant hippo...'_

She sighed and leaned against the wall. She felt her stomach tie up in knots...

_'Hi. I just came round to say that I like you and that..._

_This is hopeless..._

_Okay. My real feelings are that I really like you, have a massive crush on you and all those times we were meaning to kiss, but didn't have been driving me crazy. I like you more than a friend and I can't stop thinking about you._...'

_'Then he'll run away and lock the door and emigrate to New Zealand..._

"I can't do this..." sighed Marie and walked away from the door and started to make her way down the stairs...

At that moment, the door opened and O.B stepped out to see who it was. He came onto the landing and saw a glimpse of Marie, walking down the stairs.

"Marie?" called O.B. as he started to walk down the stairs.

Marie suddenly stopped. She heard someone calling her name and knew who it was...

_' Oh my god! Damn it! What am I going to do? Was he spying on me? Brilliant plan, pacing round outside his door! I hope he can't read thoughts... How did he know it was me? Oh no...He's coming towards me... Aaarggh!'_

O.B walked down the stairs and saw Marie standing at the last step. She turned around and watched him as he came down to her level.

"Hi..." said O.B, smiling. "What are you doing here?"

_'Lie! Quick! Think of something!'_

"Hi! Umm...I was going to knock on the door as I thought I left my...lip gloss round at your place last Friday, but...I found it in my handbag!" she said, holding up her lip gloss. "Journey wasted! Sorry to have disturbed you..."

"You thought you left your lip gloss?" repeated O.B and he nodded. Marie could tell that he knew it was an excuse.

"Yeah. It's silly, really... I know, but it has sentimental value..." said Marie, nodding.

"Sentimental value?..."

_'You really have to lie better next time...'_

"Uh-huh. Ummm...It was part of a Buy One Get One Free offer and I couldn't bear it if they got...separated. The lip glosses." said Marie, putting her lip gloss back into her bag. She stared at her shoes, trying not to look at O.B.

_'Smooth...You really pulled that off!'_

"Anything else you left behind?" asked O.B, smiling.

_'Yeah. My common sense.'_

"Ummm...No, I don't think so..." said Marie, as she shook her head.

She sighed and looked up at O.B.

"Look, I'm a crap liar...I best tell you the truth. So here it goes...I'm not perfect. I'm hopeless at telling people my feelings. I get into really embarrassing situations. I get flustered if I'm nervous. Bad luck always seems to follow me. I can't cook that well and I often drink alcohol when I get really stressed... And here's a few things I have to admit...

I got drunk at the SU Bar while waiting for you, as I got really nervous. I do have a crush on Clive Owen, which I don't like to admit... I find it really hard to trust new people after my last boyfriend. A lot of people in my life have screwed me over. I also had a Spandau Ballet obsession when I was 15, but I don't think that matters..

But most of all...I really like you. A lot. There. I said it. And I totally understand if you race back upstairs and lock the doors. And for some reason, I can't get you out of my head. And I've only known you for about a month or so...and I don't do this with everyone...Being friends with you is all I really want...as I know you're relationship with Mel is complicated..

I know I just babbled a lot to you there and It may take a while to sink in...But I'll think I will go now as I think I've freaked you out... Thanks for listening."

Marie turned away from O.B and started to head for the door, but felt him grab her wrist. He pulled her towards him and they kissed. They both pulled away.

"Look. I..."

Marie sighed. "I know. Don't say it. You're still in love with Mel. I get it. I understand. And I know it's none of my business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go now..."

"Marie, wait..."

Marie turned around again and tried not to show the fact that deep down, she was crumbling to pieces. She held back the bitter sting of tears and looked at O.B.

"No. I was being too hasty and I haven't been here very long and already I grab the nearest guy who I think likes me. And I don't know why I just told you all of that private stuff, because I don't even know you that well and I don't tell people that sort of stuff... I'm sorry, but I really have to go..."

"Marie, you don't understand...'"

Marie turned around and let a tear escape. "No, I don't understand. And that's my problem! I can never understand why I act like this. And I don't even know why I'm crying! I've just made a complete idiot of myself... Look, I have to go now..."

"Marie, just listen..." said O.B as he grabbed her arm. Marie didn't bother turning around, but she stopped and waited.

(A/N: Okay, this paragraph is v. fluffy! I wrote it when I was very tired and well...I'm a bit of a cheesy old romantic at heart :) )

"Yes, Me and Mel's relationship is complicated, that's the truth - and in some ways, I will always love her. But, I'm not going to sit around here and wait for Mel to suddenly realise that she does love me. She seems to have moved on, and so will I. I would have still been brooding at home for Mel if I didn't like you...which I do. Me and Mel will always remain good friends and nothing can take that away from us...

I don't kiss people unless I truly mean it. I'm glad you told me all that stuff. I know how you feel when your heart's broken - and I can see that you really loved this Adam guy. I've loved every minute spent with you and I want to always spend time with you. I'm not perfect either - but that what makes people special...All my thoughts in the past weeks have been about you and that doesn't happen with most girls... I don't know where this will go or what will happen in the future - but I know that life is too short - I've lost a lot of people in my life who were close to me and I don't want to lose what we have...whatever that is..."

He pulled her gently around again and looked at her. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't truly care about you..."

He kissed her again. Marie felt herself sinking into the moment, but tried to listen to the inner voice inside her that told her to pull away...

_**The Valentine Household**_

_**9:45 pm**_

Calvin sighed and turned to face his two siblings.

"Oh for god's sake! Just choose a movie! Personally, I suggest The Godfather….."

"Thank-you!" said Sonny, rolling his eyes at Sasha.

"No! Let's watch The Producers!" said Sasha, thrusting the DVD case in front of Sonny's nose. "Otherwise, it will give _you _ideas to put a horse's head in my bed!"

Sonny grinned at Sasha. "That's what you think……."

Sasha shook her head. "No way are we having The Godfather now!"

"It is a school night, so The Godfather will be too long….." said Calvin, looking at the back of the DVD case.

"We're not five years old!" protested Sonny, "We can do what we want….". Sonny opened up the DVD and was about to put it into the DVD player when Calvin took it away from me.

"Not in my house, you don't!" said Calvin, smiling.

"Hey, where's Marie?" asked Sasha turning to Calvin.

Calvin went quiet and put the DVD onto the coffee table. "She's gone to sort some affairs out….Just put The Producers on!"

The TV screen shone brightly in their faces and Sasha crouched down on the floor and put her DVD on. Sasha smiled and stuck her tongue out at Sonny. Sonny slumped back onto the sofa and stared moodily back at Sasha. Calvin shook his head and took a sip from his drink. They all sat back on the sofa. Sasha concentrated on the TV, while Sonny plugged his MP3 player. Calvin got up and headed to the window. He looked outside and watched the heavy raindrops hit the window. He was about to close the curtains, when he saw someone running up the steps...

There was several knocks at the door. Calvin opened it and Marie ran inside, dripping wet with rain. Her hair was in dreadlocks and her mascara had run down on her face. Calvin, Sonny and Sasha stared at her and eyed her up and down. The water dripped onto the floor and Marie stood shivering in her wet clothes...

"I forgot my umbrella..." said Marie, quietly.

Calvin quickly went into the kitchen and picked up a freshly washed towel. He handed it to Marie.

Marie sighed as she wrapped it around her and muttered 'Thank-you...'

"Jesus...You look frozen..."

"Yeah...I'm okay now..." said Marie, looking down at herself. "I'm just gonna go to my room..."

Calvin nodded and watched as she made her way up the stairs. Marie wrapped the towel around her tighter, so it was hugging her body. She opened the door and entered her room. She walked over to her window and looked outside. She took off her towel and stood staring out of the window. She let her hair toss down to her shoulders, letting water drip down her shoulders.

Outside it was dark, but Marie could see the dark clouds shifting...revealing clear sky...

**END OF CHAPTER 7**

**A/N: I hoped you liked it...I apologise for the fluffiness...cringe cringe** **I don't usually do fluffy, so it is a whole new experience for me!**

**Thank you so much to all my reviewers! Please review this chapter, as I would really like your comments:)**

**Also, weirdly, today (2nd October) is Clive Owen's birthday too! (BTW: I'm not really a big Clive Owen fan!)**

**Thanks again and please please review!**

**Love Grace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	9. Tease

Chapter 8

Tease

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OC's and Ideas

_**Friday 29th September**_

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**6:35 pm**_

_**Zoe's Room**_

Zoe Carpenter got up off her bed and stood up. She turned herself around and looked at her bed. On her bed, were piles of clothes scattered across the bed. Her wardrobe doors were open and revealed bare clothes hangers. On the floor next to her bed, shoes were lined up in a row. Zoe sighed and looked at her bed. Tonight, was her date with Joe, which she had put off for a week and she had finally caved in and agreed on going out just in the village.

Zoe was now in a baggy t-shirt and tracksuit trousers, with her hair washed and put up in a towel. She walked over closer to her bed and picked up her jeans. She looked at them up close and made sure that they were clean. Satisfied, she lay out the jeans on the floor and turned back towards her bed.

_'What top should I wear?...Not that it is important or anything...Just want to look nice...'_

She glanced at her blue vest-top and picked it up. She turned her head towards her window and saw that it wasn't exactly nice weather...

_'Maybe not...'_

She put the top back on her bed carefully. She hovered her finger over the mass load of tops. She shook her head as she looked through the mass of tops...

_'Too glittery...Too short...Too big...Too pre-80's...'_

She looked under the mass of tops and to her delight, found her silver 3/4-length sleeve top. She smiled and layed the top carefully next to her jeans. She picked up her black belt off the bed and put it next to the jeans.

Suddenly, her door flung open and Kris appeared. Zoe quickly panicked.

_'Oh no! They can't know that I'm going out with Joe tonight!'_

Zoe raced to the door and shut it. Kris became puzzled and knocked on the door:

"Zoe...Are you okay? You've been in there for at least an hour now..." asked Kris, talking to the door.

"Errr...Yeah! I'm fine, thanks..." replied Zoe, leaning against the back of the door.

"What are you doing in there? It looked like a clothes bomb had exploded!..."

Zoe felt herself begin to get nervous. "Errmmm..."

_'Think of a good excuse!...'_

"I'm...sorting out my clothes...for the winter. You know...Chucking things out and stuff.." said Zoe, looking at the mass of clothes around her room. He was right. It did look like a bomb had exploded...

"Oh okay..." said Kris, turning away from the door. "Remember! If there's something that you don't want anymore, then you can always give it to moi!"

Zoe shook her head and smiled. "Okay Kris...I will!"

She heard Kris walk away from the door. She sighed and walked back over to her bed.

_'Close shave...'_

She began to put her clothes back into the wardrobe, until she heard someone knock on the door.

Zoe put her clothes down on her bed and rolled her eyes.

_'Not Kris again!...I hope he's not going to look through my clothes...'_

Zoe opened her door slightly. "Kris, If I find something, I'll -

Zoe gasped as she saw who it was. It was Joe smiling at her. He had something hidden behind his back. He was all dressed in a checked blue shirt and dark jeans. He had put some after-shave on and the scent hit Zoe with a bang...

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Joe! You know the agreement! They can't _know _we're going out on a date!" said Zoe, looking around making sure no-one was watching.

Joe smiled. "I know, I know! But I just had to give you these..."

He brought his hand over to Zoe and presented her with a bouquet of lilies. Zoe smiled as she saw the flowers. The sweet scent was overpowering and it made Zoe's heart melt.

"Joe, these are gorgeous!..." she said with a smile, "But...as I said...We can't let anyone know...Anyway, where are we going tonight?"

"Well...I thought a meal at Il Gnosh, then head onto The Loft for drinks?..." said Joe, leaning closer towards Zoe.

"How original..." said Zoe, sarcastically. "No, its sounds like a good plan! But we _must _avoid The SU Bar like the Plague! And also, we can't be seen coming into the flat together..."

Joe rolled his eyes again. "Now exactly, why we keeping the date under-wraps?"

"Because, it is going to be a one-off and there is no point in telling everyone!" said Zoe, closing the door. "Bye Joe!"

"7:30, Il Gnosh!" said Joe quietly, waving his hand through the gap of the door.

"Goodbye Joe Spencer..."

Zoe shut the door completely and stared at the white lilies. She smiled and took in their scent. She walked over to the bed and was about to put the lilies in the windowsill, when something fell out of the flowers and onto the floor...

Zoe looked down on the floor and saw a card. She picked it up and turned it around. The card had two little ducks holding hands on it with a big love heart above them. She instantly recognised Joe's handwriting...

_'You won't regret it at all... Joe x'_

Zoe smiled and shook her head. She began to get dressed, ready for her date...

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**7:00 pm**_

Marie and Sasha were sitting on the sofa together, eating Ben + Jerry's Ice Cream watching Sasha's boxset of _Lost_. Marie was dressed in her scruffy clothes and enjoyed the prospect of having a Friday night in, watching TV. It was how she spent most of her nights since Adam broke up with her. Plus, she was also spending girly time with Sasha: whom she had known since Sasha was little. At first, Sasha and Marie never really spoke, but we're now getting along well, as they shared their love of all American TV Shows and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. Marie couldn't help but stare at Jack from _Lost _as he waded through the Jungle

"He's the best out of all of them..." said Sasha, sighing happily.

"Mmm...Definitely" smiled Marie, as she took another spoonful of ice-cream.

_'Wish I was Kate...' _thought Marie to herself, as she stared and admired Jack's body.

Just then, Calvin appeared and started to walk down the stairs. He came to the bottom of the stairs and looked at Sasha and Marie on the sofa together. He smiled and walked over to them.

"I see you two are getting along well..." said Calvin, smiling.

"SSSHHH! Jack is on!" said Sasha, still transfixed at the TV.

Calvin turned and looked at the TV. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Not that crap again..." Calvin said, shaking his head.

Sasha paused the TV. Her and Marie stared at Calvin in shock.

"I thought you were better than this, Marie!" said Calvin, laughing as he sat down on the armchair.

Marie gasped. "How dare you insult _Lost_! It is the best program there is out there!"

"It's because he's jealous, as he's been trying to get a six-pack like Jack's for weeks!" Sasha said laughing.

Marie giggled and Calvin threw a cushion over at Sasha playfully.

"Oww! You're acting like Sonny!" said Sasha, throwing the cushion back at Calvin.

Calvin shook his head. "Anyway...Marie, do you know what today is?"

Marie turned her head to face Calvin. She stopped eating her ice-cream. A look of panic reached across her face.

_'Oh god, no...It can't be his birthday! Think Think Think! Are there any important events happening today?'_

"National...Tree...Day?" said Marie, guessing.

Calvin laughed. "No, you daft goose! It's Friday!"

Marie rolled her eyes and turned to face the TV. "I am aware of that..."

"Marie Roberts knows its Friday, but isn't going out!" said Calvin, playfully gasping. "What happened to The Marie, who used to go out clubbing religiously every Friday since she was seventeen?"

"She discovered _Lost..." _said Marie, eating another spoonful of Ice-Cream. "Which is a lot more thrilling than Dance Music...Anyway, I thought you were on Patrol tonight?"

Calvin shook his head. "I've swapped shifts. That's why, I thought we could go out...

"What? Me?" said Sasha, staring up at Calvin.

"No! Not you! You're too young...I meant you, Marie!"

Marie turned to face Calvin. "Uh-uh...No way...I'm happy as I am!"

"That Ice-Cream is probably full of calories, you know..." Calvin said as he pointed to the ice-cream.

Marie looked at the tub of ice-cream and she put her spoon down. "I won't eat the ice-cream then..."

"Yay! More for me..." said Sasha, taking the tub to her lap.

"Oh go on, Marie...You need to get out and explore the Village!" said Calvin, egging Marie on.

Marie sighed. "I have explored the Village!"

"Have you been to Il Gnosh?"

"Yes..."

"Have you been to the SU Bar?"

"Yes..."

"Have you been to The Loft?"

"Ye-...No..." said Marie, looking down at the floor.

Calvin put his hands together. "Well, lets go there then! Come on!" He got up off his chair and stood up. He looked at Marie, who was still sitting down. Marie looked up at Calvin and rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm keeping Sasha company! It would be unfair of me to leave her..." protested Marie.

Sasha turned to Marie. "Go...You need to get out...Plus, I get more ice-cream!"

She smiled at Marie and continued to watch the episode...

Calvin laughed. "See? Even a 15 year old thinks that you should go out more! Also, I have never been there before, so it's a first-time all round!"

Marie put her head in her hands. She looked up at Calvin. "Fine! You win! But only for a couple of hours!"

Calvin smiled. "Good! I'll go and get changed..."

Calvin walks up to the stairs and goes up them. Marie shakes her head and smiles...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**7:20 pm**_

Zoe stared at herself in the mirror. She had got dressed into her silver top with the black belt around her waist and her jeans and silver stilettos. Her hair had been neatly straightened and she had put on her favourite pair of long silver dangly star earrings. Her face has been made-up and it gives her look a flawless finish. She nodded at herself in the mirror and walked over to her door...

She peeked her head around to check nobody is around...

_'I best go before Joe gets too worried...'_

Zoe walks slowly into the main living area of the flat. Kris, Olivia, Jess and Will are all sitting on the sofa, chatting amongst themselves. Zoe quickly hides behind the wall.

_'Damn it! I'll just have to be extremely quiet...'_

Zoe exhales slowly and tip-toes slowly into the living area. She carefully walks past the sofa. She quickly tries to make it for the front door, but ends up tripping over her own bag...

The four students turn around to see Zoe on the floor...

Will looks down at Zoe. "Zoe? What are you doing?..."

Zoe picks herself up off the floor and dusted herself down. The four students stared at her, all dressed up. Kris smiled

"Oooh! Zoe is on the pull! Who's the lucky guy?..." says Kris, leaning forward on the sofa, towards Zoe.

"I am not on the pull!" protested Zoe, picking up her handbag. "I'm on my way to get something..."

"Like a man?" said Jess, smiling.

"No..." said Zoe, shaking her head. "To get some...milk..."

The four students turn to each other and laugh.

"Must be some hot milkman!" said Kris, laughing.

Zoe put her hands on her hips. "I'm just experimenting with a new look...that's all!"

"Sure, Zoe. We believe you..." laughed Olivia.

Will rolled his eyes. "Come on, Zoe. Its the 21st Century! There's no crime in going out on a date!..."

_'When it's Joe Spencer, it's always a crime...' _thought Zoe to herself.

"...But it is a crime not to tell your friend who the lucky fella is!" said Kris, looking straight over at Zoe.

"It is NOT a date, as I said, I'm going to get some milk and to clear my head a bit...I'm getting stir-crazy in this flat!" said Zoe, heading for the door.

Olivia stood up. "How about we all go out and clear our heads? I mean, Zoe looks like she's all ready to go out..."

Kris nodded. "I could do with a night on the tiles!"

Jess and Will also nodded.

Zoe shook her head and quickly walked to the door. "No no! I won't be long! Honest..."

"Oh come on, Zoe! We all need a night out after all the hard work we have done this week!" said Will, smiling.

Zoe rolled her eyes. She looked at the time. 7:35 pm.

_'Crap! I'm 5 minutes late...'_

"Seriously, guys...I will make it up to you tomorrow! I just really need to get the milk!"

Zoe quickly opened the door before any of the other students could talk to her. She sighed and leaned back against the door.

_'See how much sacrifice I am making for you, Joe? Giving up going out with my friends, to go out on a date with you...Hope he really appreciates it...'_

_**Il Gnosh**_

_**7:40 pm**_

Joe Spencer was sitting at a table for two, staring at the empty seat opposite him. He had changed shirts 3 times and had finally decided to stick with the black shirt and faded dark jeans. He had gelled his hair a little too. He watched at the numerous amounts of couples at other tables, gazing into each others eyes...

He looked at his watch and sighed.

_'Okay...So she's 10 minutes late...Chill out! She will turn up...But what if she doesn't? Perhaps something happened to her on the way here? Well, she would have called...Just give her time!'_

He took another sip of his water to try to calm his nerves. His hands were shaking slightly. This date with Zoe was a chance to prove himself to her. She was adamant that it would only be a one-off, but Joe had other ideas...

_'I hope she hasn't had second thoughts...'_

He started to look around the restaurant and realised that he was the only person without someone with him...

He tapped his fingers on the table nervously and stared at the seat opposite him, wanting Zoe to just suddenly appear and order some food…

He looked outside: it had already begun to rain. Joe turned away from the window and started to read the menu. Food would be able to distract him from worrying about Zoe.

_'Okay, let's see...spaghetti carbonara...tuna steak and salad...Zoe...No! Stop stressing about her - just concentrate on the food!...'_

Joe flung the menu on the table and leant back on his chair...

He turned his head quickly as he saw the door flung open...

Zoe had arrived, with her umbrella. She collapsed the umbrella and shook off the rain water dripping down from it. Joe looked at her and smiled. Her image hadn't been affected by the rain and to Joe, she looked more gorgeous than ever...

_'My god...She looks fantastic...I am such an idiot for losing her...';_

Zoe made her way over to the table and smiled. "Sorry I took so long...I saw the rain and had to grab my umbrella, but they were still all quizzing me about where I was going...Joe?"

Joe was still staring at her and hadn't noticed that she was talking.

"I'm up here, Joe, not down there..." said Zoe, pointing to her face.

Joe blinked his eyes. "Sorry! Got lost my own little world there...Hi! You look...wow! If I say so myself..."

Joe got up off his chair and pulled a chair out for her. Zoe shook her head and sat down at her seat.

He sat back down at his own chair and offered her a menu.

"I'm absolutely starving...All I've had today is a bowl of cereal!" laughed Zoe as she scanned her menu.

Joe nodded." I know the feeling, I've only had three rounds of toast, a sandwich and two packets of crisps..."

Zoe stared at him blankly. "That's quite a lot of food!..."

"Yeah, but for me, that's like starving!" protested Joe, staring into his menu...

Zoe continued to scan the menu." What to choose, what to choose..."

Joe smiled at Zoe. "Girls always take ages to choose what food they want..."

Zoe folded her arms and put down her menu. "That is not true! I'm just taking my time, that's all..."

Joe laughed. "How about a wager on that? I bet you that when the waitress comes and asks for our order, you won't have decided!"

Zoe leaned forward across the table towards Joe. "What do you get if you win?..."

"You have to buy me a drink at The Loft..."

Zoe smiled. "Okay! And if you lose..."

"I pay for your meal..." said Joe, taking a sip of his water.

Zoe put down her drink. "Hang on...I thought _you_ were already paying for my meal, as it is you who is proving to me that you have changed and that you aren't the male chauvinistic pig that you used to be?..."

Joe went quiet. "Ah, yes...I somehow forgot about that...Well, if I lose, then you can walk away and not go on with me to have drinks at The Loft..."

"Deal!" said Zoe, nodding.

Zoe and Joe shook hands. They both picked up their menus and stared at the choices. Joe lifted down his menu slightly and watched Zoe read the menu...

_'Don't mess this up, Joe...It could be your last chance to prove yourself to her...'_

"You're still paying for my meal, you know..." said Zoe, still staring down at her menu.

Joe quickly lifted his menu up again. "Yeah, I know that!"

Zoe smiled and nodded. "Okay, just as long as we've got that cleared up..."

The waitress came up to their table, armed with her notepad and pen. Joe put down his menu on the table and smiled at the waitress. Zoe, however, was still reading her menu...

"Right, what can I get you?" asked the waitress, waiting with a pen in her hand ready to write.

"Okay..." said Joe, staring down at his menu. "I'll just have the Pasta with Beef Mince Bolognaise and a Mineral water to drink, please..."

Joe put down his menu and looked directly at Zoe. Zoe was still reading her menu. The waitress looked at Zoe, waiting to take her order. Joe smiled and looked at the waitress.

"I think she may need at least five more minutes with her order..." said Joe, smiling as he handed the menu over to the waitress.

The waitress was about to walk off, when Zoe put down her menu...

"No..." said Zoe, smiling at Joe. "Ignore my friend over here...I've just made up my mind..."

_Time to get my own back!...' _thought Zoe to herself.

The waitress walked back around to the table. Zoe looked at her menu on the table.

"Right, now for Starters...I'll have the crab salad..."

Joe looked at Zoe, puzzled.

"Then, for the Main Course, I'll have the Cooked Meat Platter...and does that come with salad?"

The waitress shook her head." No, it doesn't, but you can order a side salad if you wish to..."

Zoe continued. "Very well...and the side salad too...And also, can I also have the selection of bread rolls to go with that?"

The waitress nodded as she wrote down the order. Joe quickly grabbed the other menu and checked to see what Zoe was ordering...His eyes widened as he dreaded to think of the bill...

"Hang on, Zoe..."

"No, Joe...Let me finish..." smiled Zoe "Then can I have the bottle of your best champagne please? Oh! But only with one glass..."

"Anything else?" asked the waitress.

"Can I order dessert upfront?" asked Zoe, smiling.

The waitress nodded.

"Okay...I'll have your best homemade cheesecake, please!"

"Certainly..." said the waitress as she took the menu away from Zoe. Joe's face had gone to a pale colour... The waitress took the menu from a distressed Joe and walked away. Zoe smiled as she took a sip of her water. To her, Joe's face was priceless...

"That's a heck of a lot of...expensive food..." said Joe, quietly.

Zoe smiled as she looked at Joe. "Well, Joe...I'm extremely hungry...Plus seeing as you're paying, I thought it best to treat myself...As this is my one-off chance to have a meal with the incredible, Joe Spencer..."

Zoe chuckled to herself, while Joe stared at Zoe, pale-faced...

_**Later That Evening...**_

Joe sat staring at Zoe, as three waitresses served their food onto the table.

"Here is your Spaghetti Bolognese and your mineral water..." said the waitress as she put down the food next to Joe.

The waitress put down quite a large bowl in front of Zoe. "Here's your crab salad..."

"The Cooked Meat Platter?" asked the third waitress to Joe.

"Over there..." said Joe, quietly pointing to Zoe. Zoe grinned at her food.

"Would you like to try the Champagne first?" asked the second waitress to Joe, as she brought around a trolley with a large ice bucket and inside, a massive bottle of champagne.

Joe sighed quietly. "You better ask her..."

The waitress brought round the champagne and undid the cork. She poured a small amount into the single glass for Zoe to try. Zoe took a sip of it.

"Mmmm...Oh my god, Joe! This is the _best _champagne I've _ever _had! It's soo bubbly and crisp..." said Zoe, as she took another sip.

Joe forced a smile on his face. "I'm...very...glad..."

"The bread rolls and the side salad?" asked the second waitress, holding her tray up high.

"Her..." said Joe, pointing to an excited Zoe.

The waitresses had to clear some room at the table for the basket full to the brim of bread and the large salad.

"Enjoy your meal..." said the waitresses as they walked off.

"I will!" smiled Zoe, as she stared at the large amount of food.

Joe stared at his small portion of spaghetti Bolognese and looked at the huge meat platter Zoe had all to herself.

"Well...this is nice...Having a meal together!" said Joe, nodding. "That crab salad looks nice..."

"Yeah..." said Zoe, taking a bite of her crab salad. "To be honest, I'm not really a big crab fan..."

Joe spluttered out his water. "WHAT!"

"...But I'm always open to try new things!" said Zoe, taking another bite of her crab salad.

Joe had to calm himself down from having a fit...

"Mmm...How's your Spaghetti Bolognese?" asked Zoe, licking her lips.

"Satisfying..." said Joe, twirling some spaghetti on his fork.

_**5 minutes later...**_

Joe stared at his empty plate, where his spaghetti Bolognese used to be. He had drunk all of his mineral water and was now having to watch Zoe eat...

Joe felt his stomach rumble. Making him watch Zoe eat was painfully hard to do...

Zoe had left most of her crab salad and was now onto her Meat Platter - which she had nearly eaten. She took another bread roll out of the basket and started breaking it up and eating it. Joe couldn't stand it and tried to grab a bread roll...

Zoe slapped his hand.

Joe pulled away his hand. "Owww! All I wanted was a bread roll! I'm still _starving_!"

"Well...you have to say..._please_..." said Zoe, smiling.

"Please..." said Joe, quietly.

Joe took a bread roll out of the bread basket and took a bite out of it.

_'I hope she bloody well gets indigestion!'_

_**The Loft**_

_**8:15 pm**_

Calvin Valentine walked into the entrance of The Loft and looked around. Inside, it was just as modern as The SU Bar and had a similar layout to it. The club was packed and loud music was blasting out of the speakers on the wall. The bar had all sorts of drinks out on display and there were several sofas against the walls.

Calvin was wearing a white shirt with some jeans and some black K-Swiss trainers. He looked around and smiled.

"See? Isn't this better than sitting around watching TV?..." said Calvin smiling. He turned around, expecting to find Marie standing next to him. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Marie?" called Calvin. He saw a shadow of a figure just standing outside the door. He rolled his eyes and went out of the door.

Outside, Marie was standing directly outside the door, staring at the entrance. Marie had decided to wear her navy jumper dress with leggings, a black belt and flat black ballet-pump shoes. Calvin took her hand and dragged her into the club.

"Come on..." he said and he opened the door. Marie stood staring at the new surroundings around her. It was a nice place...

"It looks like The SU Bar...except less students...and more alcohol..." said Marie, looking at the bar.

Calvin laughed. "Cheer up!...What do you want to drink?"

"Anything with alcohol in it..."

Calvin made his way to the bar and dragged Marie with him. Marie sat down on a bar stool and rubbed her eyes, sleepily. Calvin grabbed the bar stool next to her and sat down. Calvin ordered the drinks and turned to face Marie.

"You hate going out..." said Marie, looking at Calvin. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Calvin wasn't listening and was staring at a girl sitting on one of the sofas. She and Calvin were exchanging looks. Marie watched Calvin's face and turned to get a look of what he was staring at. Marie looked at the girl and looked back at Calvin.

"Oh no..." sighed Marie "You've brought me on to one of your dates, haven't you?"

"No, I swear to god, I haven't!...I've only...just...seen...her". Calvin continued to stare at the pretty girl on the sofa. It looked like she was alone...

The bartender brought over the drinks and Marie, hastily grabbed hers and started to drink it. On the other hand, Calvin hadn't even noticed that his drink had arrived...

"Shall we go over there and introduce ourselves?" asked Calvin, staring at Marie hopefully.

"Calvin, you can go over there on your own, you know...We aren't Rosie and Jim - you don't have to include me.." laughed Marie.

Calvin took some keys out of his pocket and threw it to Marie. "Here's the keys if you wanna go home...Thanks for coming out anyway!"

Calvin took his drink and walked over to the pretty lady on the sofa. Marie watched as Calvin introduced himself to the woman. Marie stood staring at the bar. She took another sip of her drink.

_'Didn't take Calvin long to dump me...'_

Marie was looking around and she noticed someone at the other end of the bar.

Just sitting there...

She peered closer to see who it was.

It was a female.

She looked about the same age as Marie.

She had brunette hair.

Marie got up off her stool and walked over to the girl. As Marie began to walk towards the girl, she slowly began to recognise her face. The girl was cradling a drink and was just staring into nothingness...

Marie bent down and looked at the girls face. Then she knew who it was...

"Mel?"

_**Il Gnosh**_

_**8.30 pm**_

Zoe took one last bite of her strawberry cheesecake and pushed the plate away. Joe was sitting across from her and stared longingly at her dessert. Zoe was starting to feel sick, but she didn't want Joe to know that...

...Then he would have the upper hand...

Zoe smiled over at Joe and she put her spoon down. "That was the most _gorgeous _dessert I've had in my whole life..."

Joe smiled, but she could tell that he was bitter inside. She looked up at Joe and sighed.

"It's a shame, you know...'Cause, if you hadn't made that bet...we would have been going to The Loft right now..."

Joe squeezed his napkin tightly. _'It was meant to be a joke! I didn't think she'd take it that seriously...'_

"Well, I'm full...How about you?"

"I'm satisfied..." said Joe, quietly. "Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the dinner...Want anything else? No? Okay! Let's get the bill..."

"Don't you mean, _you'll _get the bill?" said Zoe, putting her napkin on the table.

"Yes. Zoe. I'll. Get. The. Bill" muttered Joe. "Can we have the bill, please? Now!"

The waitress came over with a receipt with a few mints. Zoe took the mints while Joe reluctantly looked at the bill. His eyes were about to pop up out of their sockets...

_'£65? My god! She's not a cheap date...But she's worth it...'_

"How much did it come to?" asked Zoe, popping a mint in her mouth.

"Never you mind!" said Joe, forcing a fake smile on his face. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He opened it up and Joe half-expected moths to fly out...

He pulled out his credit card and put it on top of the receipt. The waitress took the card away

and put it in the chip and pin machine. Joe stared at Zoe - admiring her beauty...

The waitress tapped Joe's shoulder. "Excuse me?"

Joe smiled at the waitress.

"Your card won't be accepted..."

A look of panic flashed across Joe's face. _'It's a new credit card! It has a £10,000 credit limit!'_

"But its a new credit card..." protested Joe.

The waitress tried to butt in. "You don't understand..."

"No...It can't have denied me already!" said Joe panicking.

Zoe sat on the other end of the table with a worried look on her face.

_'It's all my fault! My stupid pay-back thing! I shouldn't have done it...I've bankrupted Joe!'_

The waitress sighed and showed Joe the card which he gave her.

"Your card won't be accepted because we do not accept 'Petrol Fuel' Cards...

Joe took the card off her and laughed. "Sorry! Wrong card..." Joe felt himself go red and he handed him his Maestro Card. The waitress tried again with the new card and it was accepted. Joe sighed and Zoe felt herself relax a little.

The waitress handed them the final receipt. "Here's you receipt. Have a good evening!"

"Thanks..." said Joe, breathing a sigh of relief. "Almost had a heart attack then!"

The thought of Loan Sharks and Coffins were all too much of a reality for Joe...

_**Outside Il Gnosh**_

Zoe and Joe walked outside from Il Gnosh and stood outside in the street. Zoe hugged her arms to stop herself from getting cold. She felt a splash of rain on her shoulder, but ignored it. She looked at Joe.

_'He really has made an effort for me tonight...Maybe I should give him another chance...'_

"Well, that was a nice meal..." said Joe, moving closer to Zoe. "I really enjoyed tonight..."

Some more raindrops hit the ground. Zoe came closer to Joe.

"Joe...I was trying to stop myself from resorting myself to this...But...I really did enjoy tonight...and it wasn't just the food...but...you...It made me think about the past and how much I used to enjoy going out with you then..."

The raindrops were getting more frequent...

"Tonight gave me the same feeling as I did when I used to go out with you...And although I said that this was a one-off..."

The rain was starting to get heavier. Joe and Zoe moved closer together...

"...I've changed my mind...I want us to..."

"Do this again?" said Joe, finishing her sentence.

"Yes...I really do...but...I don't want the rest of them to know...Not yet anyway..."

Joe smiled and sighed happily. He lifted Zoe's chin and brought her closer to him...

...and he kissed her on the cheek.

Joe moved away from her. The rain was getting heavier and the pair of them were slowly getting soaked from the rain water...

Zoe grabbed Joe's arm...

...and she leant in...

...and both of them kissed...

Zoe felt happier than ever...

...And inside...

She was dancing with joy...

"What about an umbrella?..." asked Joe, holding Zoe.

"I don't care. As long as we've got each other...then I'm willing to catch all the colds in the world!" said Zoe, smiling.

_**The Loft**_

Marie was sitting next to Mel on a bar stool and they were both sipping their drinks. Calvin was still sitting next to the pretty girl and it seemed like they were getting along well. Mel was cradling her drink...which turned out to be water. Marie took another sip of her drink and smiled at Mel. Mel put down her water.

"I didn't realise it was you until I saw you..." smiled Mel as she took a sip of her water. "What you doing here on your own?"

Marie sighed. "Well, I was with Calvin...but it seems he got...distracted"

Mel nodded. "Men tend to go for anything female...and pretty. They're like moths to a flame. They can't help it..."

"Calvin can be a ladies man when he wants to be..." laughed Marie. "Why are you here on your own? I thought you'd be with Louise or Sophie?"

Mel shook her head. "Nah...Sophie is off with Russ somewhere and Louise is sitting at home, watching soppy romance DVDs...Not that I don't like them or anything...Just it was depressing me, so I thought it best to get out for a while...

When I go out, I keep searching for something...but I don't know what it is and I haven't found it..."

Marie stared at Mel. Mel took another sip of her water and looked down into the glass.

"Do you want me to get you a drink? A Vodka or something?" asked Marie, pointing to Mel's water.

Mel's facial expression changed. "I can't..."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Go on! We both need a drink..."

Mel sighed. "No no...It's just...I physically can't...I'm an RA...I go to AA meetings..."

Marie blinked at Mel and then suddenly realised what she meant...

"Oh...I'm sorry...I just really put my foot in there now, haven't I...Stupid me..."

Mel laughed. "You're not stupid...You didn't know!"

Marie grabbed her drink and pushed it aside.

"So...What do you think of Hollyoaks?" asked Mel, leaning forward to Marie.

Marie sighed. "It's...different...but a good different. I like it though..."

"For me, Hollyoaks has memories for me. Every corner I take, there's always something that reminds me of the past...Mostly good memories, but quite often bad...but I love Hollyoaks...My whole life is here and I can't imagine anything else...

You've settled in well...It's good to have someone new in the village...Someone nice" smiled Mel.

"Thanks! That means a lot.." smiled Marie.

"It's good to talk to someone new...There are hardly enough good people in the village...but I won't get into that..."

Marie nodded. "I've already had my share of bad people..."

Mel looked at the time on her watch. "I'd love to stay here and chat more, but I think I'm gonna hit the hay...I'm really shattered...But we'll have to go out sometime!"

"I'd like that! That would be nice..." smiled Marie. "A good girl's night out...I haven't had one of those in a longtime...Plus, no offence to Calvin...I'd love to have some female company! All my female friends are back in Oxford...I haven't heard from them since I left..."

Mel reached out and patted Marie's hand. "If you ever need anyone...I'm here for you."

Mel got up off her stool and smiled at Marie. She picked up her handbag and started to walk to the door. Marie gave her a smile and she waved as Mel left the door...

_**Later That Night...**_

Marie made her way out of The Loft and sighed. She walked down the steps and started to make her way back to the Valentine's Flat.

She covered herself as the cold settled in. She adjusted her handbag and started walking again. She stared at the puddles on the floor and deliberately avoided them. She thought about Mel's words and looked at the buildings as she went by. To Marie, they did all seem full of memories.

On a Friday Night, it seemed as if Hollyoaks came alive. Marie looked around her. There were groups of people hanging outside the Dog, chatting and laughing. Marie sighed and carried on walking.

Along the street, people were walking up, starting up their night out, while for Marie, her night out was ending...

_'What a great night out...not! Calvin seems to have met some nice girl...and I'm going back home to continue fantasizing about Jack in Lost... What a great Friday night...'_

Marie flicked her hair out of the way and saw in the distance the wall leading up to the flats. Crowds more people were flocking either towards the SU Bar, Il Gnosh, The Dog or The Loft. Marie watched as she saw many couples holding hands, looking loved up. Marie exhaled heavily and looked away.

She saw the steps towards the flat and started to make her way up them. She stopped on one of the steps and got out the keys which Calvin had given to her. As she walked up the stairs, she got closer to the entrance of the steps...

But someone was sitting outside the door...

Curious, Marie walked up the steps...

...And there waiting for her...

...Was O.B...

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

**A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. **

**PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO CONTINUE WITH THIS STORY!**

**I really would like to know what you think of the story - constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**I decided to focus on Joe and Zoe in this chapter, but I will do a lot more of the characters in the next chapter...**

**Please review!**

**Grace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	10. Wake Up Call

Chapter 9

Wake Up Call

Rating - T 

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Friday 29th September**_

_**10.00 pm**_

Marie walked up the final step and O.B stood up. After not hearing a word from him that week, it surprised Marie to find him standing outside The Valentine's flat...

_'It's him! Oh no...Why is he here? After acting like a complete utter loony by admitting that I liked him, most men would change their names and move away...' _

"Hi..." said Marie, walking up to the steps.

"Hi...Umm...How are you?" smiled O.B, nervously.

Marie nodded. "Errmm...okay...What you doin' here?"

"I came to see if you were around, but Sasha said that you'd gone out with Calvin and I was about to go to...

Marie took a look at him. He looked slightly cold and He looked like he'd been waiting there for ages...

"You look frozen! How long have you been waiting??" said Marie, moving closer towards the door.

"10 minutes...or so..." admitted O.B

_'Aww...bless! He waited for you!'_

Marie fiddled with the keys and put them in the door.

"Do you want to come in for a drink? I mean...you don't have to if you don't want to, but at least it means that your visit wasn't for nothing..."

"That would be great, yeah!" nodded O.B

Marie twisted the key in the door and opened it. The downstairs lights had been switched off and it looked like Sasha had gone to bed. Marie flicked on the lights and it reveled a tidy lounge. Sasha had obviously tidied up... O.B followed her in and closed the door.

Marie walked over to the kitchen and turned the lights on. She opened some cupboards and started looking through them. O.B stood in the lounge and leaned against the wall. She peered round to see O.B still standing.

"You can sit down, if you want!" laughed Marie.

O.B sat down on the sofa and watched as Marie started rummaging through the cupboards, trying to find something drinkable...

"Do you need a hand?" asked O.B, watching Marie get out several pots and pans.

Marie shuffled around the kitchen and opened several cupboards.

"Errrmm...I thin I'm okay...Sasha has just done some tidying...and I can't find...A-ha! Here there are! So, what would you like to drink? We have Beer, Vodka, Orange Juice, Tea, Coffee...Some weird Mexican drink...or Coke?"

"Just a beer would be fine thanks..." said O.B, nodding.

"Okey-dokey..." Marie started to put the mass of drinks bottles away.

O.B peered round to look at Marie. "So have you been?"

Marie shuffled around the kitchen. "Good thanks! Calvin dragged me out of the house to get out for a bit but he ended up chatting to some girl and left me to my own devices - I got bored and decided to walk home...Great Friday Night! How about you? Wouldn't you been out with Tony or Dom right now?"

O.B laughed. "Oh...They've gone out to get mind-blowingly drunk and I didn't want to get in that sort of state..."

Marie laughed. "You have to be mind-blowingly drunk to spend time with me! Otherwise I'm just not fun..."

"That's not true!..." smiled O.B

She walked over to O.B and brought over his drink. She sat down next to him.

O.B put his drink down on the coffee table. "I came to see you...since we haven't seen each other for a week...and I was doing a lot of thinking about what you said..."

_'Eeep! I was hoping he would have forgotten about that...'_

Marie sighed. "Look...I'm sorry for the way I just blurted out everything to you...I shouldn't have done that...It was silly of me..."

"No...I'm glad you said it...but you went off in a hurry the last time I saw you and I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

_'How sweet...'_

"Yeah...I'm good! I was just embarrassed over my behaviour..." She looked down at the floor. This was turning out to be one of those awkward situations that Marie hated...

O.B moved closer towards Marie.

"I...wanted to know if you wanted to go out again...like on a 'date' date..."

"Yeah! That sounds great..."

He shuffled next to Marie. She knew what was going to happen next. She tried to fight her inner instincts and move away before anything could happen; yet she wanted to stay...

"I...kept thinking about you, after you left..."

"Oh...really?" said Marie, with genuine surprise in her voice.

"I...wanted you to know that...I...like you too..."

"You do??" Marie felt dumber than ever. She tried not to ask 'Why?'

He came closer to her and the pair were now extremely close to each other...

_**Hollyoaks Village**_

_**10:30 pm**_

Calvin came stumbling down the main street, laughing his head off. Judging by the look on his face, he looked totally drunk...But he wasn't alone...

Next to him, was the girl who he had been talking to earlier: Tiffany. Tiffany was 23 and was a secretary who worked in Chester. She had extremely pretty chocolate-brown eyes and dark skin. She had long hair which reached down to her shoulders. Her hair was almost pure-black and she had braids in parts of her hair. Calvin put his arm around her. She too was laughing... It seemed like one too many vodka shots for both of them...

"And...the p-postman started to call him an...ar-ro-gant dog!" laughed Calvin.

Tiffany's laugh was infectious. She smiled at Calvin and he coolly turned her around and started whispering sweet nothings in her ear...

She giggled. "And your house is down here?"

Calvin took her hand and they stumbled around.

"You...are...mad!" laughed Tiffany. "How many drinks...did you have??"

"Well, love, I try not to count...but if I stare in the mirror and a handsome creature stares back at me, then I know I've had enough!" laughed Calvin.

He had Tiffany in stitches.

Calvin was seriously slurring his words. "They s-say..._He's 21, got the key to the door, He'll never see life as he did before!_...God, I got so...WASTED at my 21st...I haven't seen life the same since!..."

Tiffany shook her head. "I was a good girl...I didn't get drunk at ALL!..."

"I beg to differ..." laughed Calvin.

Tiffany gave him a small shove and they both looked into each other's eyes. Calvin kissed her gently on the lips. She giggled again, killing the romantic mood. Calvin had been on many dates at all with women, but one-night stands were never his forte.

...But now he was escaping from admitting his true feelings...

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

Marie and O.B looked into each other's eyes...

He moved closer towards her...

...Until a phone's started to beep...

"Your phone or mine?" said O.B, smiling.

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. She took out her mobile phone out of her pocket and started to read a text from her friend. O.B leaned over Marie's shoulder and caught a glimpse of a photo...

"What's that photo of?" asked O.B, peering at Marie's phone.

Marie hid her phone. "Nothing..."

"Oh come on...There must be something!" smiled O.B.

Marie smiled and opened up her phone and opened up the pictures for O.B to look at. She handed O.B her mobile phone and he started to scan some of the photos.

The photos were mainly of Marie with her family and friends. He started to flick through them. The first few were of Marie at school, with her friends. She looked about 15/16 years old. They were all happy ones. He flicked to the next photo and there was Calvin and Marie, at school, pretending to shoot each other. Marie looked slightly younger then and she had longer hair. She was in a white shirt, black skirt and red + black tie, which was made to be very short. Calvin was in the same uniform, except with some baggy trousers. He smiled at the photo.

"Is that Calvin?" asked O.B, pointing to the mobile phone screen. "He looks really young!"

"Yeah..." laughed Marie, "I was in Year 11 and he was in Year 13, I think... He reminds me so much of Sonny in that photo.. I scan in a lot of my photos and transfer them onto my phone.."

O.B started to flick through the rest. Marie was starting to grow up in the photos. There was a picture of Marie standing next to a girl slightly older than her. The girl next to her looked similar to Marie, except she had short, dark brown hair and green eyes.

"That's me and my sister, Erin" said Marie, pointing to the girl next to her "She's five years older than me..."

The next photo was of Marie and other girls, with their arms around each other, smiling. It looked like they were at some club. They were all holding glow-sticks in their hands. O.B flicked through some more. There were lots of Marie at various different dance/night clubs. The next photo was of Marie, dressed up in a fairy outfit and dancing.

"What's this then?" asked O.B, laughing.

Marie's eyes widened and she quickly took the phone off him. "It's nothing..." she said, smiling.

"Oh come on...Let me see!" said O.B, as he tried to grab the phone off Marie.

Marie held it up high and O.B tried to get it. She quickly switched hands and laughed.

"You're not getting it!" laughed Marie

"Just one peek!" said O.B, laughing trying to reach the phone.

Marie tried to hold it higher and now she was practically standing up on the sofa. O.B started to tickle her and she started laughing.

"Oi!!...Stop it!!..." said Marie, in stitches.

Marie was now laughing and she had slumped down the sofa. O.B was still tickling her and the phone dropped to the floor. O.B was still tickling Marie.

Marie stopped laughing and she and O.B looked at each other...

It was the same look they gave each other the last time they had saw each other...

They began to move closer towards each other...

_**Meanwhile...**_

Calvin took Tiffany's hand and they looked at where they were. They were finally now at the steps leading towards the Valentine's flat. They started to walk up the steps carefully. He smiled at Tiffany, but missed a footing, and went down one step suddenly. He broke into a fit of laughter, sitting on the step.

"Nice...place!" said Tiffany, looking around.

"It's only the outside, love!" laughed Calvin as he got up off the floor.

They were nearly at the door. Calvin got up the steps first and he led Tiffany up the last set of steps. He smiled at her and they kissed again. To Calvin, she was very attractive...

...But he felt it was purely lust...

He laughed as he looked at the door. He felt his pockets and he remembered that he had given Marie the keys.

He turned the door handle...

"Do you know..." said Calvin, tagging Tiffany along, "When I was a young man...I married... a door!"

Tiffany cracked up again. Everything was hilarious when Tiffany was drunk...

"And it said..."

He opened the door and revealed the bright light of the sitting area. Suddenly Calvin saw what he had hoped never to see...

On the sofa was Marie and O.B, kissing...

"Marie!" blurted out Calvin.

Tiffany entered through the door. "Marie?? The door said Marie??"

Marie pulled away from O.B and looked at Calvin, embarrassed by the humiliation of it all. Calvin felt every inch of his body sober up...That was an image that he wouldn't be shake clear of. Tiffany stood staring at the two new faces...

"Calvin! I didn't realise that you were bringing someone home..." said Marie, looking up at Calvin. O.B had now moved away from Marie and looked equally embarrassed.

"Umm...no...Miriam walked me home..." said Calvin, dumbstruck.

Marie looked up at the new girl. The woman tapped Calvin's shoulder violently.

"It's Tiffany!" replied Tiffany next to him. She shook her head at Calvin and she walked out of the doorway and down the steps...

O.B got up off the sofa.

Calvin pointed up the stairs. "I'm gonna go up the bed...I mean, stairs...and get some sleep..."

"I best go now too...I've got an early shift tomorrow..." said O.B, looking at Marie.

Calvin trudged himself up the stairs...Heartbroken...

...And feeling alone...

Marie put her hands over her face.

_'You just can't bloody control yourself can you?...You kiss O.B in front of Calvin, who you just found out has feelings for you...Bravo..."_

"I'll let you out..." said Marie, getting up off her seat. O.B followed her and she opened the door: letting the harsh reality blow into the room...

O.B and Marie gave each other small smiles and he left the flat...

Marie closed the flat door and slumped against it.

_'Whatever I do...I end up hurting someone...Either myself or people around me... Fate is cruel...'_

She picked herself up off the floor and stood up. She walked up the stairs...

...And the trail of guilt followed her all the way up the stairs...

_**The Next Morning...**_

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**Zoe's Room**_

_**9:50 am**_

Zoe Carpenter woke up in her bed and immediately shut her eyes again. Light was seeping in through the gap in the curtains, revealing pure sunlight. Zoe rolled herself to the other side of the bed and put her pillow over her head. She groaned as she moved her body: pissed off over the fact that she had woken up. She slowly tried to lift herself up, but she could tell that it was bad...Her head felt like someone had pounded a hole through it...

She opened her eyes, one by one, and looked at the room. The room was blurry and she felt like she was spinning. She launched her head back onto the pillow and moaned as the pain got worse...

She rolled over and felt something next to her...

She lifted the covers and saw...

...An empty champagne bottle next to her...

Zoe moaned and shoved the bottle onto her bedside table. She attempted to sit up...

Zoe looked down at herself. She was in the same clothes that she wore the night before... She had serious 'bed-hair'...

She rubbed her eyes and tried to regain her eyesight...

_'What...the...hell...happened...last night?...'_

**Flashback **

Zoe and Joe were standing the rain...holding her in each other's arms...

"I don't care. As long as we've got each other...then I'm willing to catch all the colds in the world!"

She kissed him again as the rain started to tipp down...

**End Flashback **

Zoe sat bolt-right up.

_'Shit! I kissed Joe!...What was I thinking?? What was I drinking for that matter?...No no no no...I said never again and yet you still launched into his arms...and what on earth did you say to him?! _ _Me and Alcohol equals 'Cheesy Love-Starved Zoe...' _

_You really made your impression on him now..._

_He was a good kisser though..._

_That's still not the point! You kissed your ex!!! The same Joe who broke your heart...'_

Zoe got up off her bed and tried to stand up... She slipped on her dressing gown and made her way out of the room...

She closed the door and tip-toed quietly - trying not to wake anyone else... She padded across the floor and got to the living area. She peeked her head round and quickly hid behind the wall. Joe was in the kitchen...

_'Damn it! Why is fate so cruel... I can't face him...He'll think we're starting up our relationship again!...'_

Curious, Zoe peered her head around from the wall. She looked at Joe. He was sitting down now on the sofa. He was drawing something and had several pieces of fabric around him. Scattered about the floor, were scrunched up pieces of paper. He looked at his design and sighed. He grabbed the paper and scrunched it up. He tossed it on the ground and put his head in his hands. Zoe sighed and leaned against the wall...

_'He looks like he's working so hard...He does do brilliant work when he puts his mind to it...Maybe I've missed judged him...again'_

Zoe sighed and made her way back to her room.

Her feelings for Joe were never going to be clear...

But she felt more love for him than ever...

She just didn't realise it yet...

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brien Household**_

Tony Hutchinson sat on his sofa and looked around his flat. He was the only one up in the flat and had already eaten breakfast and now was looking for something to do. All the housework had been done and he was just alone, with his thoughts...

He looked at the chest of the drawers and realised that the photos needed dusting. He picked up the polish and duster off the table...

He walked over to the chest of drawers and started to look at the various photos that he has in frames...

He picked up the first photo: It was a picture of Tony when he was little. He looked about 7 or 8 years old and was holding a fishing rod, with a small trout on the end of it. He smiled at the photo and started to dust it:

_'What a handsome kid I was! A very strapping lad...if I say so myself...'_

He admired the photo and put it down again...

The next photo was of Tony and Dom when they were teenagers. Tony was had some ridiculous haircut which made him look like David Bowie - but not in a good way...

Dom had a serious punk phase going on and he was staring at Tony moodily. Tony rolled his eyes and he gave the photo a quick wipe...

_'What on earth was Dom doing dressed like that?! At least I didn't go through anything like that when I was younger...;_

Tony came to the next photo and he picked it up without looking at it...

He gave the photo a wipe with the cloth and then looked down to see which photo it was...

It was one with him and Mandy together on their wedding day...

Tony stared at the picture and the colour drained away from his face...

He touched the photo...

_'Mandy...' _

A tear came to his eye and he quickly rubbed it away. He stared at Mandy, admiring her. Mandy looked her best in every photo she was in...

Tony took the photo and opened one of the drawers on the chest...

He exhaled and put the photo inside the draw and shut it quickly...

Everything was still raw for Tony and he could remember Mandy walking around the flat as if it was yesterday...

He sat down on the sofa and thought about Mandy...

And a question raged in his head...

'What if?...'

_**That Evening...**_

_**The Dean/Burton/Hayton Household**_

Becca sat on the sofa, watching yet another DVD. She was snuggled up next to Justin on the sofa, while Nancy and Foz were sharing the armchair. Justin was still dressed in his Il Gnosh work clothes, but had lowered the tie down and undid the collar. Nancy and Foz were meant to be going out to one of Foz's friends parties, but they had time to kill, so they were all watching _'Red Eye' _after completely ruling out watching romance films, comedy films and gory films...

"She's so lame...Can't she even tell that he is the bad guy?!" scoffed Nancy at the TV.

Justin rolled his eyes and turned to look at Nancy.

"Would _you _be able to tell that he was the villain if _you _sat next to him on a plane?"

Nancy folded her arms. "'Suppose not..." She hated it when Justin got the upper hand when finishing conversations...

"Come on now...Let's watch the film." said Foz, quietly.

"Sorry..." said Nancy and she turned and kissed Foz.

Justin rolled his eyes and put his arm over Becca. Becca smiled at him and continued to watch the movie...

Becca looked around her. She sighed and thought about her life...

And all that was going through her mind was:

'Is my life gonna be like this always?...'

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

Calvin was sitting on his bed, with a mobile phone clutched in his hand...

The mobile phone was pink and had a charm dangling down...

Marie's Phone...

He was looking through the pictures on her phone. He skipped through most of them and was just looking at one...

It was a picture of Marie, smiling in her garden back home...

He looked at the picture and sighed...

All he could do was dream...and think about what he couldn't have...

...The girl he could never be with...

**END OF CHAPTER **

**A/N: Hope you liked it! I would like say a really big thank you to my wonderful friend Tamara for helping me out with the story and ideas ('I married a door!) - lol :)**

**Thank you for your kind reviews :) i I kinda run out of ideas for this chapter - so it is shorter than some of my other ones - but I am planning on doing a storyline in the 11th Chapter (not the next one, but the next one after that - my chapter numbers are v. confusing!!) which involves all of the Hollyoaks Characters - its set to be quite a funny chapter - but I won't give anything else away!!**

**I will write the next chapter when I get some reviews...**

**Please review!!**

**Love Grace xxxxxxxxxxxx**


	11. Insecurities

Chapter 10

Insecurities

Rating - T

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Ideas

A/N: Please excuse my dates in these chapters - I often jump about a bit, so bare with me!

_**3rd October **_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**11.35 am**_

It was now the month of October and autumn was already settling into Hollyoaks Village, with the rainy weather and clutters of leaves piling the ground. Everyone was getting into the routines of their daily lives and working the 9 to 5 to earn their money and pay the bills. For the girls at Evissa, this was no exception...

Everyday, more customers trudged through the door, with their holiday tans fading and their manicured hands missing a nail or two. The mornings were usually slow and Marie was feeling the full effect of tiredness...

She sat at the nail bar and listened to her second customer of the day, Yvonne White, a receptionist talk about her disastrous holiday to Malaga and how she would never eat Paella again...

Marie carried on doing Yvonne's nails, smiling as she did and patiently nodding her head sympathetically as the details of her holiday continued...

It was just Marie on her own in the main part of the salon, as Sophie was doing a massage for one of her customers and it was Mel's morning off. Louise was buried under paperwork in the back office and Marie guessed that she wouldn't resurface until about lunchtime...

Yvonne continued to chat. "...And so, Me and Chantelle were like 'Oh my god!! That air steward is soo fit!', but then we found out he was gay, so no romance there, but I..."

Marie started to do the infill for Yvonne's nail. Yvonne was a regular customer, but she didn't tip well and always broke one of her nails each week...

Marie felt her eyes close..._'I feel ready to snooze any moment now... Oh, how I was on a beach in Malaga...No, actually I don't, but hey, its still a beach... Can I just go home and hibernate for winter now?...'_

A phone started beeping in the background and to Marie, it sounded like a million miles away...

"Umm...Your phone's ringing love!" said Yvonne, pointing to Marie's bag.

"Oh...Is it?" said Marie, in a sleepy voice. She yawned and tossed her hair out of her face and bent down to pick her mobile phone up. "Sorry about this..."

"No probs love..." said Yvonne, staring down at her freshly painted nails.

Marie rummaged through her bag and saw it was Calvin calling her. They hadn't really interacted with each other since the night when he walked in on Marie and O.B kissing...

She got up off her stool and quickly opened the door and the cold wind shocked Marie's system.

"Hello Calvin...How are you?" yawned Marie. "I thought you were at work?"

Calvin coughed in the background. "Nah, I felt too ill so they sent me home... I haven't disturbed you, have I?"

Marie quickly peeked her head round to check-up on Yvonne. "No no...I was just listening to details about a cockroach-infested hotel..."

Calvin laughed and then went quiet. "Oh okay...I'm just calling to tell you that..."

Calvin went silent. Marie stood waiting patiently on the phone.

"Oh come on! It can't be that bad!" laughed Marie. "Is it the taxman?"

Calvin still stayed silent.

Marie rolled her eyes. "Come on Calvin, tell me!"

"Adam has called for you..." sighed Calvin.

Marie went silent and her mood instantly dropped. She shook her head. "Sorry, who did you say was calling for me?"

"Adam..." said Calvin, solemnly.

Marie exhaled heavily and leaned against the wall.

_'What is that arsehole doing calling me?...Great, just what I need...Hell just called...'_

"Adam...Cowell?" asked Marie, stupidly. She knew full well which Adam he meant...

"Yeah...He called my mobile and wanted to speak to you, as you've changed your number apparently..."

_'My great plan has been foiled...Get a new number and not tell him!'_

Marie sighed. "Did he say he'd ring back?"

"Sounded like it..."

_'No way on God's earths are you going to let that person call you...or you call him back...'_

"Does he know where I am now?"

"No, he doesn't. My guesses are that he's been pestering your other friends trying to get information out of them..."

Marie started to freak out. "Look...If he calls back again, tell him to sod off and leave me alone, got it?"

"Sure. No problem" agreed Calvin "I better let you get back to work... Sorry to drop that on you, but you deserve to know..."

Marie sighed. "Thanks, Calvin. I best go now...Bye"

"Bye Marie"

The phone clicked and Marie put her phone away. She leaned back onto the wall and tried to hide her emotions. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she cursed herself for getting upset.

_'He's had too many of your tears for you to get upset now...'_

She wiped away her tears and sniffed. She looked at herself in the reflection of the glass in the salon window. She shook her head at her image and she headed to the door, putting a smile on...

No way were her plans going to be messed up now...

Especially not by him...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**12:15 pm**_

Joe Spencer was sat alone in the HCC flat and was sketching some more designs into his workbook. He looked at his work and sighed. Deadlines were what Joe hated and right now, he had several of them all at once...

He stared at his drawings and sighed. None of them were what Joe had been thinking of and none of them seemed to fit. He looked at the next drawing and sighed. He took a sip of his coffee and sat back on the sofa, taking his mind off the work piling up...

_'Either my creativity has gone for a holiday or I'm not the great fashion designer I thought I was...Come on Joe! Think! You've done loads of these tasks before, so its not like its hard or anything...'_

Joe was the only one in the living area as Jess was in her room, Olivia and Kris had gone to lunch and Will was talking to one of his teachers.

The door opened and Zoe smiled and closed the door. Joe's mood was suddenly lifted. He looked back to his drawing and decided to carry on working. Zoe took off her scarf and unveiled her blonde hair. Joe couldn't help, but stare...

"Joe Spencer, I can see you're looking at me..." said Zoe, her back turned to Joe.

Joe quickly grabbed his book and pretended to read. Zoe turned back and saw Joe, look up from his book.

"Me?" Joe put on a fake look of surprise. "No no...I was reading on how...Lycra is a much better...thingy to use rather than...PVC..."

Zoe rolled her eyes. Joe was good at many things, but lying wasn't one of his strong points.

"This is absolutly hopeless..." said Joe, throwing his sketchbook to the ground.

Zoe looked at Joe's frustration and walked over to him. It was the same look of frustration she had seen on his face that previous Saturday.

Joe shook his head and looked at his drawings. "I've lost my touch...I admit it!"

Zoe sighed and smiled at Joe. "Don't be silly! Now, I know that you are the best designers that I have come across...Much better than some designers like...err...Tracy Emmet?? You know! The woman with the tents..."

Joe looked at Zoe and raised his eyebrow. "She doesn't even design clothes!"

"Yeah...You're right, bad example...Alexander McQueen??"

Joe shook his head. "Zoe, He's the greatest fashion designer of all time..."

Zoe sat down on the sofa next to Joe.

"Yeah, but your the best out of the lot here...I know for sure that you will go on to be a huge success..."

Joe smiled at Zoe and put his arm around her.

"Awww...Zoe...You're very sweet...Making up crap to make me feel better!..."

"Hey! I was being genuine!" laughed Zoe.

Zoe picked up Joe's sketchbook and started to flick through. All of the designs showed good potential and could go far. Zoe smiled at the sketches as she looked at them.

"This is really good work, Joe!" smiled Zoe.

Each little drawing had little fabric samples attached and had a colour palette box showing what colours for each design. Zoe flicked through the next one and burst out laughing.

"What?" asked Joe, trying to see what Zoe was laughing at.

Zoe turned to face Joe. "Joe? Can you promise me something?"

"Anything.."

"NEVER make any designs out of PVC or Latex!" laughed Zoe.

Zoe closed the book and put it down carefully.

"Can I give you some advice?"

"Please!" said Joe, moving closer to Zoe, anticipating over what she would say.

Zoe took Joe's hand. "Don't give up on the first hurdle just because you think it's too difficult... Keep at it and you'll soon realise your dreams...That's what my dad always says... I know deep-down that you can achieve anything and soon you'll realise the true potential you have inside you...Another sort of saying by my dad too..."

"Thanks, Zoe.." said Joe, smiling at Zoe.

They were both on the sofa, looking into each other's eyes. Joe moved in towards Zoe and hugged Zoe. Zoe relaxed and found the hug comforting. They both looked at each other and were about to kiss when...

The door opened and Kris barged in along with Olivia laughing. Zoe quickly squirmed away from Joe's grip and moved away from him completely. Joe grabbed his sketchbook and began to read it. Zoe grabbed Joe's coffee and pretended to drink it. Kris and Olivia both stared at Joe and Zoe and they looked at each other, with raised eyebrows.

"Hello fellow students!" announced Kris and he placed his latte on the table.

Zoe turned around to see Kris. "Oh...Kris! Olivia! I didn't realise it was you..." She tried to hide her head in shame.

"Joe...You seem quiet...Are you okay?" asked Olivia, staring at Joe, who was just staring at his sketchbook.

"Me?...Err...Yeah! Just deciding on some different fabrics for my design..." Joe, smiling at Olivia.

Olivia nodded slowly and turned back to talking to Kris.

Zoe sat on the sofa and looked at Joe, who was staring at Joe who had engrossed himself into his work again.

She may be coming around slowly to her feelings for Joe...

But to publicly admit them...

That was something Zoe was insecure about...

_**Jess's Room**_

Jessica Harris sat in her room on her bed with music softly playing the background.

She was wearing her old baggy tracksuit and wasn't planning on going out anywhere. Her hair was scraped into a ponytail and she was wearing no make-up. Her eyes gave everything away. The sparkle in her eyes had faded and she looked like she had been heavily crying...

Around her bed, she was surrounded by folders and paperwork. Everything was mostly college work and course materials. Jess sighed and looked at the mess that surrounded her. Next to her, was her faithful teddy bear, which had always been there for her. She picked it up and looked at it. It was a beautiful brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck. Jess hugged it and she looked like she was gonna cry again.

_'Why?...Why am I feeling like this?...Everything's changing...for the worst... Why can't life be simple like in the past, when I had nothing to worry about...?'_

Jess gave her teddy a kiss and sat it down next to her. She had sorted out all of her paperwork into neat piles and had folders ready organised for the papers.

She picked up a pile and carefully placed it inside the folder. She picked up the next pile and was about to organise it into the next file, when something slipped out onto Jess's lap...

Jess looked down at the thing that had fallen out...

It was a birthday card...

She picked up the card. On the front of it, there were two bears sitting on swing together, holding hands. Jess opened up the card...

It was a birthday card from Olivia. Her neat writing jumped out at Jess:

_To My Best Mate, Jess_

_Have a brilliant birthday! May we always be friends forever!_

_Loads of love,_

_Your Best Friend_

_Olivia xxxxxxxxxxx_

Jess stared at the card and a tear slid down her cheek. Her eyes were brimming full of tears. She broke out into quiet sobs, hiding her face into the pillow.

_'Olivia...What happened between us?...Why can't we get back to how we were?...She doesn't like me anymore...'_

Even though they still hung around each other, Jess felt there was something missing...

A piece of a jigsaw that Jess couldn't fill...

Jess heard laughter come from the living area and she closed her eyes and sighed sadly...

There was only one person who Jess blamed...

Kris...

He had taken Olivia away from her... Thought Jess anyway...

Jess's mind flashed full of happy memories between her and Olivia. Back in the 'Good Old Days...'

Jess began to cry again and sunk her face into her pillow, quietly sobbing...

Thinking that things might never be the same again...

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**The Dean/Osbourne Residence**_

_**1:00 pm**_

Jake Dean was lying on the sofa in the Osbourne Flat, curled up next to the cushions. He was dressed in his work clothes and seeing as he had no more tasks to do in the afternoon, he decided to rest his weary head and have a mid-afternoon snooze. He tossed about a bit, to get into a comfortable spot. He gave into his tiredness and closed his heavy eyes and dreamt of being away from Hollyoaks...

Escaping the past...

Escaping the guilt...

Escaping the torment...

Escaping from what might come in the future...

Jake was nearly fully asleep, when he felt something hit him in the arm...

He stirred from his sleep, but dismissed it...

He felt it hit him again and he groaned...

"Get UP, you lazy pest!" came a voice.

Jake moaned and tried to open his eyes. "Huh?..."

He eventually opened his tired eyes and there was someone standing over him. His vision began to focus at the figure in front of him. Standing over him, was a female holding a newspaper rolled up in her hand. The female was blonde and was wearing a jumper dress and belt with beads. She had her blonde hair up and was wearing dangly earrings. Jake looked up at the female and tried to shield his eyes from the bright light...

"...Becca?..." replied a sleepy Jake.

The female hit him again in the arm with the newspaper.

"Jake! WAKE UP!" replied the female.

Jake sat up and looked at the female and it was no other than his little sister, Steph.

"Don't make me hit you again!" warned Steph, as Jake slowly rubbed his eyes.

"No!...Don't hit me again..." replied Jake, looking at his arm where Steph had tapped him with the newspaper. He looked up at Steph.

"Oh...It's you..."

"Hello Rip Van Winkle...Enjoy your nap?'" replied Steph, tapping her foot.

"Thanks to you, I didn't have one!" said Jake, moodily.

Steph rolled her eyes. "Mum is cross with you..."

"Why?...What on god's earth have I done now?" sighed Jake, sarcastically.

Steph produced an empty whiskey bottle in her hand. She thrust it forward in front of Jake's face. Jake tried to focus his sight on the bottle and he groggily stared at it.

"I'm guessing this is yours?..." said Steph as she handed the bottle to Jake. "Next time when you want to nick the pub's stock, make sure you conceal the evidence and NOT leave it lying on the floor of the pub!"

"It's...not...mine!" protested Jake, as he looked down at the empty bottle.

Steph laughed. "Come on Jake...I'm not that stupid! I HATE the stuff, Craig doesn't drink hard liquor and neither does Mum and Jack doesn't drink this brand...so it only leaves one person left in the equation..."

"Good old me...The scape-goat to everyone's problems..." sighed Jake.

Steph shook her head and sat down on the sofa next to Jake. "You're a mess, Jake..."

"So everyone reminds me..." said Jake, looking down at the whiskey bottle.

"Look...You're my big brother! I don't like seeing you in this state...But I don't solely blame you as I think the evil cow is part to blame -

"Her name is Becca.." interrupted Jake, "My wife who you are blaspheming there..."

Steph rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway...I can help you, you know... Get back on the straight and narrow..."

Jake turned to face his sister. "How, Steph? 'Cause I can't see my life going any further and I see no future for me..."

Steph took Jake's hand. "Don't talk like that... You know things can only get better!"

"We are in reality, Steph! Not 'Dream' land!..." said Jake, bitterly.

Steph sighed. "All I'm saying is that maybe you could lay off the drink for a while and maybe, you know...Get back into dating or something?"

Jake moved away from Steph. "What is the point when they end up running off with teenage lads?! They all have to leave you one way or another! Whether it be separation, divorce and hey, even death!"

"Not all women are like Becca, you know..." replied Steph.

Jake curled up on the sofa again. "That's the point...No-one can be like Becca..."

Steph sighed as she looked at her brother. Jake hid his face away from his sister, with tears in his eyes...

She got up off the sofa and headed for the door. She turned back to look at Jake on the sofa.

"You know I'm right..." said Steph and she left the flat.

Jake tried to ignore his sister's comment, but it echoed through his mind...

And the reality was that she was right...

But for Jake, he hated the bitter sting of reality...

And so, Jake curled himself tighter on the sofa and drowned in his thoughts over the past...

Because the past was the only thing he had left to hang on to...

The only thing to keep the memory of his marriage alive...

_**The McQueen Household**_

_**2:00 pm**_

Tina McQueen was sitting on the sofa in the family house, reading a book. She looked around her and was relieved to find the house relatively empty. Myra and Mercedes were out shopping, Michaela was at school and Jacqui was upstairs in her room. She sighed happily and returned back to her book…

Then suddenly, she heard a strange noise coming from the lounge…

Tina looked around and shrugged it off, getting back to reading her book….

The noise returned again….. It sounded muffled and quiet……

Tina sighed and looked around her. She put her ear closer to the sofa to hear the noise getting louder….

She put her hand down the side of the sofa and pulled up something……

She looked and realised it was her mobile. She had received a text…..

Tina sighed and waited for her phone to open up the message.

Being Tina, she was a little weary of technology and refused point-blank to get a mobile phone when her sisters begged their mum to have one… But soon she realised that she would need it for emergencies and decided to keel in and buy one… However, working a mobile phone was not one of Tina's favourite things to do…

She looked at her mobile and realised the text was from none other than Dom. After a string of disastrous dates, they never really had an actual 'good' date… But still, they had a good time in each others company and Tina's feelings for Dom had grown immensely…

The text appeared on the screen:

'_Hi Tina, It's Dom…. Just wondering if you would like to go for a drink some time soon…. Give me a call if you want and we can arrange something x'_

She smiled at the text and read it again: happy to hear from him again. She was about to send a reply to the text, when she saw the familiar face of Jacqui appear over her shoulder, reading the text….

"Jacqui!!!" said Tina, letting out a small yell. She quickly stuffed her phone under a cushion. "What are you doing here?"

Jacqui was wearing a dressing gown and had her hair in a towel. She had obviously just come out of the shower. A strand of dark hair hung out of the towel. She rolled her eyes and smiled at her timid sister.

"I've just washed my hair...Are you hiding something from me?" asked Jacqui, turning to face her sister with her arms folded.

"Me? No..." said Tina, going red in the face.

Jacqui nodded her head. "How about the text from loverboy that you just hid behind the cushion?"

Tina turned to look at her sister. "No!...It's not from _him_..."

Jacqui rolled her eyes. "Oh really? Well, how come I saw the name 'Dom'?"

Tina picked up one of the cushions and smoothed the creases out of it. She laughed nervously. "Dom! Ah, no...That's my friend...Dominique..."

"You don't have any friends named Dominique..." said Jacqui, frowning at Tina.

Tina started to fiddle with her hair. "Not ones that you know of anyway...I mean, you have been in prison..."

Jacqui laughed. "Oh Tina...It is okay for you to text boys...There's no shame in it...I mean when I was your age...well, actually 13, I was talking to boys you know...You don't have to be scared and frigid of them...I mean by your age now, certainly, you should be accustomed to talking to guys..."

"Don't mock me! I really want this to work out..." said Tina, looking down at the cushions.

"Awww...Tina's all growing up..." laughed Jacqui and she went into the kitchen.

Tina picked up the cushion and looked at the text.

She really did want this to work...

But a small part of her was panicking...

Incase it didn't work out...

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**5.30 pm**_

Marie was standing in the kitchen in the Valentine's House and took another sip of her water, looking out of the window. She had agreed to meet O.B for a drink and was all ready to go out. She looked at the clock. She had to go in five minutes. She took another sip of her water and put it down on the counter.

She picked up her handbag and jacket and checked herself in the mirror before she was about to head for the door...

At least going out would take her mind off things...

Especially him...

**END OF CHAPTER 10**

**A/N: Heya! Thanks for all your reviews :) Hope you liked the chapter - added some new characters into the mix, so I hope you liked it!**

**PLEASE review as I would like to know what you thought of the chapter... I will be doing my very long chapter shortly, but I will do another short one before I post the long one (if that makes sense...)**

**Please review!!!!!!!**

**Grace xxxxxxxx**


	12. Only Human

Chapter 11

Only Human

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Idea

_**14th October**_

_**The Valentine/Roberts House**_

_**6:30 am**_

_The joys of College Life..._

_Leaving behind your childhood years and entering the grown-up world_

_It was just for kicks... _

_Stupid kicks..._

_Just to be accepted and to find friends..._

_But for me...I got into so much more than that..._

Marie tossed and turned in her bed, still dreaming...

_A car raced down the road and six teenagers were all in the back of the small Ford Escort. A skinhead boy with a cap was driving, while a girl in a very short black miniskirt with platinum blonde hair sat in the front next to him. The boy driving had his hand on the gir's knee. In the back, was a boy with dark hair in a tracksuit, sipping vodka from a bottle sitting next to a girl with bright red hair, smoking a cigarette. On the right side next to them was a boy with brown hair and was kissing the neck of another girl. The girl had dark blonde-browny hair and blue eyes. The girl looked up and we can clearly see who the girl is..._

_Marie..._

_Music blasted from the stereo of the car and made the car shake. The car stopped. The driver got out. He opened the boot. Inside, were lots of cardboard boxes full of goods. He opened his wallet and showed his friends the wads of cash he had. Everyone got out of the car and he handed one of the boys a small bag full of white powder. They all grabbed a box and started to walk away, into different cars. Marie stared at the box she was given. It was jam-packed full of stolen goods..._

_"Stash away the goods...or you'll know what will happen..." whispered the boy into Marie's ear, silkily._

_Heart racing. Heart beating. Heart racing. Heart beating._

_Panic...Fear...Anxiety...Stupidity..._

Marie woke up in a cold sweat and immediately sat up in her bed. She panted heavily and looked at her alarm clock. 6:15. An hour earlier than she usually woke up. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

Just a dream...

She grabbed her hair-tie off her bedside table and tied her hair in a ponytail. She got up off her bed and yawned. She didn't want to go back to sleep, so she decided to get up and get dressed.

She padded across the bedroom and opened the door, carefully trying not to bang it. She opened the bathroom door and locked it quickly before anyone could grab it before her.

She turned the shower on and got undressed. She climbed into the shower and let the water hit down on her, waking her up...

But through her mind, the images that appeared in her dreams were pressing on her mind...

The heat from the shower was getting to her and so, Marie got out of the shower...

She grabbed a fluffy white towel and wrapped it around her - snuggling in it's warmth.

She opened the door and potted back to her bedroom and got dressed...

_**Later that Morning...**_

Marie opened her bedroom door and was fully dressed ready for work. She tip-toed down the stairs to the empty ground floor and stared at the neatness of the room. She walked over to the kitchen and opened some cupboards, reaching for the cereal. She had been trying to get Adam out of her head, which she had successfully had done, but now this dream was haunting her...

_'It's only a dream...' _sighed Marie and she grabbed a bowl and a spoon. She rubbed her eyes and walked over to the table, cradling the cereal box and bowl in her hand. She moved over to the table and sat down, accidentally banging the bowl on the table. She sighed and sat down at the table, thinking about her dream...

_Two girls were standing in amongst a room, surrounded by boxes full of stolen goods. Various items were scattered around the room. TV'S, DVD Players, Boxes full of CDs and DVDs and there were lots of statues wrapped in bubble wrap. A girl in her late teens was panicking._

_"Just hide the stuff! Get rid of it!"_

_The other girl looked around and felt herself tense up. "Where! I can't get rid of it..."_

_"There's too much stuff!"_

_"What are we gonna do?"_

_The girl looked out of the window and she started to shake. The fear on her face said it all. She quickly turned to face the other girl. Flashing blue lights were surrounding the area and several police cars had appeared..._

_The two girls looked at each other. They had both gone pale. "Shit...We're busted..."_

_"Chris did this! The bastard's gone and dumped the stuff on us!"_

_"Let's get out of here!"_

_The two girls raced to the door and fiddled with the knob. They banged on the door and tried to knock it down, but because of their lacking strength, the door wouldn't budge. They had been locked in..._

_A banging sound on the front door ringed through their ears._

_"POLICE! OPEN UP!" shouted a voice._

_"He's locked us in! He's locked us in!"_

_"What about the window!"_

_One of the girls raced to the window and started to fiddle with the catch. She struggled to get it open and slumped to the floor, crying._

_"WE HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR, IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR!" shouted the voice from outside the door._

_"We're toast...My parents are gonna be so mad..." cried one of the girls._

_A banging noise came from the outside of the door and the girls heard a loud crash of a door. Several police officers started to search through various rooms. All of the rooms of the derelict bungalow were empty, until they came to the last room of the house. A big wooden door stood in front of them and one of the officers tried to open the door. No luck. They tried again. No luck again..._

_"It's locked. I think they're in here..." said the Policeman._

_One of the policeman started to break down the door. The door hinges gave way to reveal the room. The four policeman looked around. It was like the stockroom for the Black Market. Cardboard boxes surrounded the area, with writing written in a different language. The first policeman walked further into the room and something caught his eye..._

_In the corner of the room, were the two girls, huddled up together...Crying..._

"Marie?"

Marie looked up and saw Calvin standing next to her in the room. He was dressed in his full police uniform and looked at Marie, smiling.

"Good Morning! I tried talking to you just two seconds ago, but you were in a catatonic state...Did you have a rough night?"

Marie looked at her cereal, floating on top of the milk. "No no...I...was just thinking about something..."

Calvin nodded and he grabbed his jacket from the chair sitting next to Marie. Marie looked up at Calvin and stared at him, all ready for work. He hadn't been downstairs earlier...

"You're going to work?" asked Marie, looking up at Calvin. "I mean, you haven't had anything to eat..."

Calvin chuckled to himself. "I usually grab something when I'm at work..."

"Oh..." said Marie, trailing off and eating a spoon of her cereal.

Calvin turned to face Marie. "I'm gonna be late home tonight as I've got a meeting to attend, so could you keep an eye out for Sasha and Sonny and tell them that I'll be home as soon as I can?"

Marie nodded. "Sure, no problem..."

Calvin smiled. "Thanks! You're a star..."

"Adam hasn't called has he?" said Marie, looking into her cereal.

"Nope...I think he's given up on searching for you..." smiled Calvin.

Marie smiled to herself. _'Thank bloody god!'_

"Right, I'm gonna head off to work, so I'll see you later." said Calvin, as he headed to the door. "Oh! Tell Sonny and Sasha that I've left them some money in the pot, so they can get take-out or something.."

"Don't worry, I will tell them..." smiled Marie.

Calvin waved goodbye and he closed the door behind him. Marie heard the familiar voices of Sonny and Sasha in their ongoing saga: 'Who gets the Bathroom..'

Marie sighed and decided to go to work...Even though she was thirty minutes earlier than she normally was...

She grabbed her jacket and handbag and left the flat...

...But still the flashbacks of her dream haunted her...

She closed the door and started to walk down the steps into the main street of the village. It was starting to get busy and she saw people in the street. She walked down the rest of the steps and she started to make her way to Evissa. A young guy with very short hair was putting up posters and handing out leaflets to people as they passed by. He was making his way down the street, putting posters on the walls. He started to come down the street with more flyers. Marie carried on walking. The guy started to make his way in Marie's direction. He came over to Marie and introduced himself.

"Hi, My name's Russ and I work at The SU Bar. On the 28th October, The SU Bar is holding a Halloween Costume Party..." he said and he handed Marie a leaflet. "The admission is £5 and the drinks are half-price. If you have any questions, then I will be at the SU Bar all day, so just ask for Russ.. Hope to see you there!"

Marie stared at the leaflet and nodded at Russ. "Thanks..."

She looked at the leaflet and folded it up her in bag. It was a long time since she had been to a party...

_'I need a good party to go to...' _thought Marie to herself and she started to make her way up to Evissa...

In the street, two girls were making there way towards Russ. The girls had linked arms and were walking towards Russ. The girl on the right was blonde and was wearing quite bright clothes and make-up. She was wearing a lot of pink and stood out for everyone else. The other girl had dark wavy hair and big hoop earrings. She was wearing a black vest-top and a black mini-skirt - even though it was quite cold. Russ smiled at the two girls.

"Russ! Russ!" said the blonde girl, excited. "What've you got there?" The other girl rolled her eyes as the blonde girl ran up to Russ.

Russ handed the girl a flyer. "There is going to be a Halloween Party at the SU Bar. Costume Party."

"Oooh! I love dressing up, me!" smiled the blonde girl. "Oi! Mercy! Come and see this!"

The dark-haired girl came up to Russ and smiled. "Hello Russ..."

"Mercedes..." said Russ, staring at Mercedes up and down.

"They're having a dressing-up party! We've gotta go to it! Our Jac will love it!" squealed the blonde girl.

"Calm down, Carmel. You'll break a nail!" said Mercedes, rolling her eyes. "Dressing up, did you say?"

"Yeah, umm...Are...you interested?" said Russ, still staring at Mercedes.

"Maybe...Only if you're there, of course..." smiled Mercedes.

Russ and Mercedes glanced at each other and smiled. Carmel was bouncing up and down.

"I'm sooo excited! I'm gonna design my own costume and everything! We haven't been to a party in ages!" said Carmel, grinning like a Chesire Cat.

"So, can I count you in?" asked Russ.

"Yes please!" smiled Carmel, looking at her leaflet. "The last time I went to a fancy-dress party was when I was twelve and I dressed up as Baby from the Spice Girls, our Jac dressed up as a Cat and Mercy dressed up as a Devil, but she ended up throwing up all over it 'cause she got drunk on cider and threw up on it!"

Russ burst out laughing.

Mercedes laughed nervously and eyed her sister. "Yeah, thanks for that, Car...Come on, we best go..."

She linked arms with her sister and they started walking again. Mercedes turned her head and smiled mischievously at Russ. Russ smiled back at her and watched as she and her sister walked away...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

Kris Fisher opened the door to the flat and excitedly rushed in with several leaflets in his hand. Zoe, Olivia, Will and Joe, who were all eating breakfast, looked up at Kris, who was grinning. Zoe smiled, put down her spoon and stared at Kris. Olivia stared up at Kris and yawned. Will looked up at Kris, a mouth full of cereal and Joe looked like he was gonna fall asleep in his cereal...

"You will not believe what is coming up soon!" smiled Kris, as he walked over to the sleepy students at the table.

"What is it?" asked Zoe, waiting for Kris to reveal what he was so excited about...

"HALLOWEEN PARTY!" announced Kris, holding up his hand full of flyers.

Joe jumped up out of his seat, smiling. Olivia groaned into her cereal and Will looked up curious.

"HALLOWEEN!" smiled Joe and he took a leaflet from Kris. "God! It's my favourite season!"

Olivia sighed. "Halloween is just a holiday made up for the card and costume companies to make money..."

Zoe smiled and shook her head. "What sort of Halloween party is it?"

Kris handed a leaflet to Zoe and she started to read it. "SU Bar. 28th October. FANCY-DRESS!"

"It looks fun..." smiled Zoe. "Are we all gonna go?"

Joe turned to face Zoe and stared at her, miming a face of shock. "Zoe Carpenter! It is _mandatory _that we go! Plus, I love to dress-up!"

"Come on, Olivia! Where is your party spirit?" said Kris, sitting down on the spare seat next to Olivia.

Joe cracked up and nearly doubled-over with laughter. "SPIRIT!"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Yes, Joe, very well done..."

"I dunno..." sighed Olivia. "I'm not a big fan of dressing-up...I feel old..."

"Olivia...I'm the oldest out of everyone here! I still wanna dress up!" scoffed Joe.

"Oh Olivia...Come on, it'll be fun!" smiled Zoe.

"Alright..." said Olivia and she gave a small smile to the others.

"How about you, Will? The Will-mister!" said Joe, dancing about.

"Yeah, I suppose so...It sounds like its gonna be good..." nodded Will.

"And we know this is Jess's thing too, so that's all of us then!" smiled Kris and he looked down at the flyers again.

"We're gonna P-A-R-T-Y!" said Joe, dancing around the flat.

"I've never been to a costume party before.." said Zoe, looking down at the leaflet.

"That's the whole fun of it all! Pretending to be someone that you're not!" smiled Kris.

"Alcohol...Chicks in cool costumes...What could be more fun!" laughed Joe.

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**1:00 pm**_

"Are you going to the Halloween party at the SU Bar?" Sophie said to Louise, munching on her sandwich.

"Yeah...I think I might!" smiled Louise and took a sip of her latte. She started scrolling down on her emails on the computer.

Mel was reading one of the SU Bar leaflets, while Sophie was eating her lunch. Marie was sitting down, thinking about her dream...

"Are you going, Marie?" asked Louise, looking at Marie.

"Umm...Think so...I dunno..." said Marie, staring out of the window.

"Aww! Go on! You gotta go!" said Sophie, looking over at Marie.

"I probably will go, as I don't have anything good to do anywhere else..." smiled Marie.

"Russ is going as a Zombie, I think... Dunno what I'll go as..." said Sophie, pondering about her costume.

"Great...Another social event where everyone will just all get drunk and end up pairing off into couples..." sighed Mel, taking a sip of her water.

"Maybe you'll meet someone there..." smiled Louise. "You never know, unless you go!"

Mel stared at her sandwich. "Yeah...but they'll all be either drunks or Darren Osbourne types.."

"Have you got a date for the party, Louise?" grinned Sophie.

Louise laughed. "No...I'm happy as I am for now..."

Sophie turned to face Marie. "Marie? You going with anyone..."

"Smoke..." muttered Marie, staring out of the window.

"Smoke? Is that a guy's name!" asked Louise, looking at Marie, who was still transfixed at the window.

Marie shook her head. "No, there's smoke coming from a car down there! I think it's broken-down..." said Marie, pointing to the car parked near by the salon.

The four girls walked over to the window and stared at the car. Smoke was coming from the front bonnet of the car. The driver got out of the Mercedes-Benz and it turned out to be a tall guy, with a shirt and tie and jeans on. He had light-ish sandy-coloured hair and green eyes. He was quite tall, about 6 ft and looked reasonably well-off. Louise, Mel, Marie and Sophie all stared at the window, looking at him in ore. He opened up the front bonnet of his car and black smoke came puffing out. He sighed at the car and fiddled about with the insides of the car.

"Wow...He looks nice..." smiled Louise. "Probably some flash geezer from the city though..."

"He does look v. cute..." admitted Sophie, staring at the man.

Mel stood still staring at him. She watched as he started to get some tools out. He was now facing the window and the girls could see a full view of him. He looked down at himself and it was plain to see that he had got engine oil on his shirt. He began to take off his shirt and all the girls moved closer and he revealed a toned body...

"Nice body too..." said Sophie, staring at him.

"Yep. He's a flash git..." sighed Louise.

"Don't be judgmental!" laughed Sophie, staring up at Louise.

"He looks made of money.." said Marie, looking at his car.

The man put his shirt to the ground and turned his head to look at the salon. He looked at the window. There were four faces staring at him. He smiled and waved at them. The girls got into panic mode.

"He's seen us! Quick! Look busy!" said Louise, quickly heading over to the desk.

The girls quickly resumed their normal positions from where they were before. Sophie quickly peeked her head at the window again. He was walking towards the salon...

"He's coming towards here!" squealed Sophie.

They all sat in their normal positions and pretended to look busy. Marie grabbed a magazine and started to flick through it, while Sophie started to text Russ on her phone. Mel started to flick through the appointments book, while Louise pretended to talk on the phone. The man was now at the door and he pushed it, coming into the warm salon. He smiled at Louise.

"Okay...Yep...Five o'clock is fine...Yeah...Okay then...Bye!" said Louise, mimicking on the phone. "Hi, Welcome to Evissa Salon. Can I help you?"

"Hi..." smiled the man. "My car's broken-down and I wondered if any of you ladies happened to have a car of your own and have knowledge of why cars won't work...I've only had my car for 2 weeks and already it hates me..."

Mel stared at the man and smiled. "Umm...I know how to fix cars..."

Sophie, Marie and Louise all stared at Mel in disbelief.

"Really?" smiled the man. "I'm crap at figuring out what's wrong with cars...Could you help me?"

"Sure!" smiled Mel and she got up off her chair. The man flashed her a smile.

"Great! I'll just go and open the bonnet off the car...again..."

He left the salon and walked back to his car. Mel made her way for the door...

"Mel, you know nothing about cars!" protested Sophie. "They wouldn't even let you take driving lessons because on the first trial lesson, you crashed into a tree..."

"Shhhh!" hissed Mel, "I know what I'm doing..."

Mel smiled and walked out of the salon and made her way to the man and his car. She shivered as the cold hit her, but tried to shrug it off. She walked over to the car and instantly she began to cough because of the black smoke.

"Thanks for doing this..." smiled the man. "You don't know how much it means to me..."

"That's okay! I like to help..." said Mel.

"Right...I think the engine has flooded due to the smoke, as there are no leaks, so it can't be the radiator..." said the man, showing Mel the bonnet of the car.

Mel stood staring at the bonnet of the car. Maybe it was a bad idea...

"Okay..." said Mel and she stuck her head, near the source of the smoke. She coughed again and looked around. It all looked like a foreign language to her. The only time she had actually ever remember looking at the insides of a car was when she trod on one of Justin's Matchbox Racer Cars...

She started to fiddle around, touching a few things. The man watched her as she peered around.

"I'm Anthony, by the way.." said the man, smiling. "Anthony Burrow..."

"I'm Mel...Melanie Burton, but just call me Mel as no-one has ever called me by my full name since Year 4..."

"Are you okay in there?" asked Anthony, staring at Mel as she tried to look busy.

"Yeah Yeah! I'm fine thanks!" smiled Mel.

She leaned forward and reached over looking at the back bit of the bonnet. There was a pool of oil at the back. He was right. The engine had flooded. She leaned over and was about to touch one of the pipes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." warned Anthony.

Too late. Mel touched it and realised it was extremely hot. She winced and pulled back her finger.

"Are you alright?" asked Anthony, staring at her finger.

Mel smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine...Just forgot about the pipe being hot...But I think you have flooded your engine. There's a load of oil at the back..."

"And on your work clothes..." said Anthony, pointing to Mel's white uniform. Mel stared down at herself. Her clothes were now dirty with engine oil. She looked down and sighed.

"Don't worry, it will come out..." she said, praying it would... "I'm not that great a mechanic, but I do have a phone-number for a car repair pick-up service..."

"That would be great, thanks!" smiled Anthony.

Mel sighed. "Listen...umm...I don't do this very often, but to make-up for my lack of help...there is a Halloween Party going on at the local club called the SU Bar here...It's a silly dress-up party, but I was wondering whether you would like to go...or not...I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to..."

"I would love to...I mean, that is if I'm not doing anything..." said Anthony, looking at Mel.

"Great! I'll get a flyer for you..." said Mel and she quickly went back into the salon.

Marie, Sophie and Louise all stared at Mel, who was caked in engine-oil. Sophie stood wide-eyed at her twin sister.

"Look at your clothes!" gasped Sophie, pointing to Mel's uniform.

"I know, I know..." smiled Mel and she picked up the blue flyer and a number card with a mechanic's number on it.

She walked back out to Anthony and she gave him the number and flyer.

"Here you go...The mechanic has been desperate for business, so he's always putting cards through people's doors... At least he'll have a customer..."

Anthony nodded and looked at the card and flyer. "Thanks, Mel...I'll best call this mechanic, but I might see you at this Halloween party then..."

Mel and Anthony stared at each other and smiled.

"I best get back to work now..." grinned Mel.

"Yeah...Thanks again..." smiled Anthony

"No worries..."

Mel walked back to the salon door...

And she had never felt better...

_**The Cunningham Household**_

Max Cunningham was sitting down on the sofa, next to her brother, Tom, reading him a story. It was a quiet day for Max and now that Tom had come home for school, he decided to spend some quality time with his brother. He turned onto the next page, reading aloud to his younger sibling...

"And so Mr. Turtle decided to go on his adventure towards finding the golden key..." continued Max, pointing out the pictures to Tom...

Suddenly, the door opened and Claire Cunningham walked in, with a very angry look on her face. She was holding a blue leaflet in her hand and came over to Max. Max stared at his wife's face and knew that she was unhappy about something...

"Have you seen this!" barked Claire and she thrust forward one of the blue leaflets in front of Max. Max took a look at the leaflet. It was a leaflet advertising the SU Bar's Halloween Party. Max stared at it, not knowing what was wrong...

"It's a Halloween Party at the SU Bar..." said Max, smiling at Claire.

Claire rolled her eyes and exhaled heavily. "Yeah! Exactly! A Halloween Party hosted by them! Darren Osbourne getting the upper-hand over us, yet again!"

"I don't see the problem with it, Claire..." said Max, looking at the leaflet again. "So they're having a Halloween party, so what?"

"Max! They are going to be raking in the profits by doing this Halloween party! I told you to organise something for Halloween - but would you listen, no!"

"Hey hey hey! No need to get tetchy..." laughed Max.

Claire shook her head. "I'm glad you find this all amusing!"

Tom stared at Claire and decided to walk out of the room. He quietly got up off the sofa and slinked up the stairs...

"Tom! Come back! We haven't finished the story!" said Max, calling after him.

"I'm gonna play with my cars..." replied the small voice of Tom as he went up the stairs.

Claire turned to face Max. "So, what are we gonna do? We need to make The Loft a better place - with more events, so that _we _will be the ones getting Darren Osbourne's customers!"

Max sighed. "I was thinking of letting Darren take this one...We should let them have their fun and then we can do events of our own another time..."

Claire exhaled moodily. "Fine then, let's watch the Loft go down the pan!"

"Calm down, Claire!" said Max, staring at Claire. "Don't get so worked up over things...Anyway, I think we should go..."

Claire's face filled up with more anger. "What!"

"I think we should go...Go out and have some fun..." replied Max. "We both need a break from all the work we are doing..."

Claire shook her head. "No way, Max! We're giving in then!"

"It's only one night off! Plus, I don't think anyone would desperatly hate us if we closed the Loft for one night!" said Max, looking straight at Claire. "So...Are you up for going out..."

Claire sighed and looked at Max. "Fine! But only one night! We are NOT making a habit of this...We are only going to take ideas and see what they have done to make the SU Bar a better place...It is only for buisness...Agreed?"

"Fine...but we're dressing up..." smiled Max.

Claire shook her head. "Don't push it, Max Cunningham..."

Claire stormed off out of the room, angry and filled with more rage than ever...

_**The Summers/Burton Household**_

A banging noise is heard and the door to the flat door is carefully unlocked...

A figure dressed in black starts to walk through the dark flat belonging to Louise Summers. The figure started to move around and the person stared around the flat...

The person quietly looks around and he sees an MP3 player on the coffee table...

The person goes over to the table and picks up the MP3 player and stuffs it into a bag...

The person then goes out of the living area and into a bedroom...

The door of the bedroom creaks open and the figure looks around...

The bedroom is decorated purple and is neatly kept...

The figure creeps around and the person walks over to the nightstand...

On the nightstand, is a picture of Louise and Sean together on holiday, smiling and their arms around each other...

The person stuffs this into the bag...

The person opens the nightstand draw and finds a jewrelley box...

The lid of the jewrelley box is opened and the person stuffs most of the jewrelley box into the bag...

A mobile phone is also in the draw...

The person grabs this and stuffs it into the bag too...

The person walks over to the wardrobe and opens it up...

Inside, it is full to the brim with clothes and shoes...

The person carefully goes through the wardrobe and sees a pink cardigan...

The person grabs it and places it carefully into the bag...

The person quickly closes the wardrobe doors and walks over to the nightstand and shoves the jewrelley box back into the nightstand...

Making sure that no evidence is left...

The person quickly leaves the room and closes the door...

The person runs to the main door of the flat and closes it, locking it on their way out...

Hiding all evidence...

**END OF CHAPTER 11**

**A/N: Hope you liked it! The next chapter will be my longest so far and it will be the Halloween Party, which includes all of the characters so far...**

**Please review!**

**Grace xxxxxx**


	13. The Party

Chapter 12

The Party

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Friday 27th October**_

_**'Fancy That' Costume Store**_

_**Chester**_

_**4:00 pm**_

Marie Roberts pushed the door into the small store and entered the shop. Seeing as there was only one costume shop in Chester and because the lack of computers in the Valentine Household, Marie decided to order her costume from the shop directly. She looked around. It was an Aladdin's Cave full of costumes for any occasion. She stared at all of the colourful masks and costumes on display in the window and made her way up to the counter.

The rails full of costumes looked nearly empty - due to the party at the SU Bar. Marie waited patiently at the counter and she pushed a strand of hair away from her face. Seeing as she escaped from work early, she thought it wise to go and get her costume...

A middle-aged woman with dark brown hair came up to the counter and greeted Marie with a smile.

"Hi. How can I help you?" smiled the woman.

"Hi, I made a reservation for a costume here two days ago and they told me to pick it up today.." said Marie, politely.

The woman nodded. "Okay then, dear. What name is the costume under?"

"Roberts. Marie Roberts."

"One moment, please.." said the woman and she disappeared into the back of the shop.

Marie smiled and looked around the vividly coloured shop. She had been egged into going to the party mostly by Calvin and O.B. Deciding she needed a night out, Marie readily accepted and had chosen her costume two days ago. A simple Halloween costume...

The woman arrived back at the counter and was holding a costume in her hands. There was a yellow slip of paper stapled to the plastic cover of the outfit and it had in big letters: 'ROBERTS'.

"You're lucky, dear. Today I had a young lad who wanted a costume, but didn't order and he had to go with one that he hadn't expected to go in...Here you go..."

The woman passed the costume over to Marie. Marie smiled and carefully held the costume up to see what it looked like.

She held up the costume to the light...and Marie's eyes widened as she stared down at her 'costume'...

_'Oh...my...god...' _thought Marie to herself, as she stared closely at the costume..

"Umm...This isn't the costume I ordered.." said Marie, pointing to the costume. "I asked for a Cat costume!..."

The woman frowned and sighed. "I'm sorry, dear. They must have got the orders mixed up..."

Marie sighed. "Do you have any Cat costumes left??"

"No, dear...We're fresh out of all sorts of costumes..." sighed the woman. "But, you've got the figure for that costume. You'll be able to pull it off!"

Marie raised an eyebrow and stared at the costume again. How on earth was she supposed to go in _that_?! She had also made the mistake of pre-paying for her costume, which made things even worse...

"Well, okay...Thanks for your help" said Marie, trying to bite her tongue.

"I'm sorry about that, dear..." said the woman, apologetically.

Marie smiled and nodded and she started to make her way out of the shop. She stared at her costume again and shook her head...

_'I should have chosen the plain old Ghost costume...'_

_**Saturday 28th October**_

_**6:30 pm**_

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**1 hr 30 mins 'till the party..**_

Zoe Carpenter looked at herself in her mirror again and looked down at herself. Zoe Carpenter was a 'no-fuss' sort of girl and when it came down to costumes, she always opted for the 'simple but effective' route and chosen the good old classic: A Witch.

She stared down at herself. She was wearing a black traditional witch's dress with stripy black-and-white tights and had a black pointy hat on. She had also bought a fake broom to match her ensemble and was carrying it in one hand. She had made her hair into the 'bed-head' effect to add some character to her costume. She stared at the fake witch's nose on her bed...

"Maybe not..." murmured Zoe and she turned back to check her image in the mirror.

Satisfied with her outfit, she walked out of her room and closed it behind her. She walked into the living-room and saw Joe standing up, staring in the mirror, adjusting his neck-tie...

Joe turned around and looked at Zoe. He stared at her in her costume and looked at her...

_'She may be a witch, but she's a damn fine witch!' _thought Joe to himself.

Zoe looked at Joe and burst out laughing. Joe had gone down the same route as Zoe and decided to go as Dracula. He was wearing a white frilly shirt with a blood-red waistcoat with black trousers and a long black cape. He had made his face pale with talcum powder and had put red lip stain on his lips. He put his hands on his hips, showing off his plastic 'glow-in-the-dark' vampire fangs. Zoe was now collapsing with giggles.

"Okay okay...Go on and laugh, but at least I'll be the sexiest Dracula at the party..." Joe said with a grin.

Zoe stared at him for a moment, trying to take him seriously, but she burst out laughing again.

"You look like a vampire out of Hammer House of Horror!" laughed Zoe.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Well, you look lovely anyway..."

Zoe smiled and looked at Joe. "Thank-you, Mr. Dracula..."

They both heard the sound of one of the bedroom doors close. They watched as they saw a hint of red around the corner. Kris and Olivia appeared together into the living room, showing off their costumes. Kris had opted to be a 'She-Devil' and was wearing a tight red jumpsuit, with a devil tail hanging down. He had accesorised with a pair of sequin Devil Horns and red eyeliner. Olivia was dressed more individually, as she was dressed as a Pumpkin. She was wearing a bright orange puffy-costume and had a green-stalk attached to a headband.

"Ta-Da!" announced Kris, showing off his costume. Olivia stood next to him, looking down at her costume.

"You look divine, Kris!" laughed Zoe.

"Olivia, you are Queen of The Vegetables!" joked Joe.

"Ha ha ha ha.." Olivia said, sarcastically. "Very funny, Joe.."

"Party starts soon, doesn't it?" asked Joe, looking down at his watch.

Kris nodded. "Yeah, we better make a move soon...God I'm so exicted!!"

"Where's Will and Jess?" asked Zoe, peering round to see if they were there.

"They are getting ready, I should think..." replied Olivia.

Two doors simultaneously slammed and Will appeared into the living room, appearing as a Pirate. He was wearing a frilly white shirt, similar to Joe's, black cropped trousers with boots and a long pirate-style jacket. On his head, is a traditional pirate's hat and he is also wearing a fake black-beard. On his shoulder, stands a little green soft-toy parrot. He appears in the living room and holds his sword up high...

"'Yarr, me hearties! A-pirating we go!" said Will, brandishing his sword and trying to put on accent. " What fine ladies and men we 'ave ho..."

"You have the worst pirate accent I have ever heard..." laughed Joe, adjusting his brooch on his necktie.

"'Aye...Too true..." sighed Will. "Where is ye one we call 'Jess'?"

"I don't know, but we're supposed to be leaving soon!" said Kris, stressing.

Jess appeared in the living room and everyone stood staring at her. She decided to go dressed as 'Catwoman' and had rented a special PVC catsuit, which showed off her figure and she added her own black leather high-heeled boots. She had accesorised by putting some black velvet cat ears and used lots of black eyeliner to show off her eyes.

Joe, Kris and Will all stood gawping at her. Olivia and Zoe smiled at her as she walked closer up to them.

"Here's Jessy!" announced Kris, looking at her.

"Sexy Jess!" said Joe, wolf-whistling.

Jess smiled and she pulled up her catsuit a little. "It's really tight this catsuit..."

"You look lovely, Jess..." said Olivia, smiling.

"Thanks..." said Jess, smiling back at Olivia. "We better go soon, otherwise we'll be late..."

Kris quickly went over to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He grabbed six shot-glasses and placed them on the table. The rest of the students walked over to see what Kris was up to. Kris unscrewed the top of the vodka and poured some into each shot-glass.

Kris handed over a shot-glass to each of the students. "Here's a little something to start off the night..."

Joe took his and held it up, waiting for the others to get their. Will picked up his and looked at it wearily, before deciding it was safe to drink it. Olivia, Jess and Zoe grab the last three shot glasses and Kris picks up the last one.

"Let the party begin!" announced Joe and they all raised their shot glasses and downed them in one...

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**The Dean/Osbourne Household**_

_**7:00 pm**_

_**30 mins 'till the party...**_

Frankie and Jack Osbourne sat down on the sofa, waiting for each of their children to appear in their costumes for the party. Frankie sat on the sofa, excited to see her daughter Steph in the costume that they had chosen together. Jack was sitting next to his wife, also curious to see what their children had dressed up in...

"I just know that she's gonna look like a princess!" said an excited Frankie.

Jack smiled at his wife. "I'm sure she will look like a princess..."

"I'm coming!" shouted the voice of Steph Dean.

Frankie sat smiling on the sofa, eager to see her daughter. She heard one of the bedroom doors close and heard the _clip-clopping _of Steph's shoes...

Steph Dean walked into the main living area and Frankie gasped with joy. Steph and Frankie had chosen the perfect costume for her: A Marilyn Monroe costume, complete with blonde curly wig. The white dress and shoes looked perfect on Steph and her mum clapped as she came in the room.

"Steph, my baby, you look beautiful!" said Frankie, smiling. "You look so much like Marilyn Monroe, it's unbelievable!"

Steph smiled and did a curtsey. "I know, it looks good, doesn't it?"

Jack nodded. "You look every inch the superstar..."

"Now, where's Craig?" asked Frankie, looking up at Steph.

"He's getting into his costume" replied Steph, looking at herself in the mirror. "He wouldn't let me come and see his costume beforehand..."

Jack looked at his watch. "You guys better make a move soon...Where is Darren? He's running the damn thing, yet he's not even there..."

Jake Dean walked into the room and rubbed his eyes. He walked past his sister and made his way into the kitchen. Frankie and Jack stared at him as he came into the room.

"How are you feeling, Jake?" asked Frankie, looking up at her tired son.

"Fine. I don't know why everyone thinks that I'm not okay!" said Jake, moodily.

"Do you like Steph's costume?" smiled Frankie, pointing at Steph.

"Yeah...It's okay..." replied Jake, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

Steph rolled her eyes and looked at her brother. "Why don't you come with us to the party? It

might do you good to get out of the house, for a while..."

Jake sighed. "I'm fine where I am, thank-you very much. I don't feel like dressing-up and getting wasted..."

Darren Osbourne walked into the living room and proudly showed off his solider costume. He was wearing a complete camouflage jumpsuit with a fake 'dog-tag' around his neck and finished the look off with boots and a fake gun.

Jack rolled his eyes as his son started flexing.

"Darren! Have you seen the time? You should be there sorting things out, not leaving it all up to Russ!"

"Russ has it all under control...He has no need for me to be there! By the way, Craig is hiding behind the corner in his 'costume' " laughed Darren.

"Why's he hiding?" asked Steph. "Craig! Come out, we want to see you!"

Some faint footsteps are heard and Craig walks into the living room. Everyone stares at him and Darren burst out laughing. Being Craig, he was the last one to get a costume and the only one left in the shop, was an old giant bear costume, complete with it's own bear head...

Jake stared at Craig in his bear costume. "I'm going to bed..."

He walked off away from his family and into the back and slammed his bedroom door...

"I hate it...I don't wanna go..." mumbled Craig up from his suit.

"Awww...lovey...You look so sweet! An 'ickle teddy-bear!" smiled Frankie.

"Oh, Craig...Girl's love teddy-bears, so you'll be sorted! Anyway, it doesn't look that bad..." said Steph, trying to keep her laughter under-wraps.

Darren rubbed his hands together. "Let's get the party started!"

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brien Household**_

_**7:20 pm**_

_**10 minutes 'till the party...**_

Dominic Reilly waited patiently downstairs for O.B and Tony to make their way down the stairs. He stared down at his costume, making sure it was on properly. He had decided to go as a Ghost and was dressed in a ghost-shaped white costume with a separate mask, which he had decided to take off as it was making it difficult to breathe.

He sighed and looked at his watch. 7:20. Party begins in 10 mins and knowing Tony, it would take him at least another 15 mins just to get ready...

Dom looked up and saw O.B walk down the stairs. O.B had decided to go down the 'Superhero' route and had decided to go as Robin - as they had run out of Batman costumes... It was the newer costume version of Robin and it was mostly made up of black and dark red plastic and imitation-leather. He was also wearing a matching black eye-mask to go with it.

"Finally! At least you're ready!" said Dom. "See? You've got a cool costume! Am I the only un-cool person going as a Ghost?"

"Yeah, you are..." laughed O.B. "Oh well, at least you can impress Tina with your 'manly' costume.."

Dom folded his arms." Don't 'dis' the Ghost! Otherwise, I will scare you silly!"

"I'm quaking in my boots..." replied O.B, sarcastically. "Anyway, is Tina going as a Ghost?"

Dom shrugged his shoulders. "No idea...She said she's coming...Well, she's having to as her sisters are making her...Is Marie going?"

"I think so...Well, I hope so...She said she ordered a costume, but haven't heard a word from her since..." said O.B, getting out his phone.

Dom stared up the stairs. "Was Tony still in the bathroom when you came down the stairs?"

O.B nodded. "Yep. Why he won't tell us what he is going as, I don't know..."

Dom sighed. "TONY! STOP COMBING YOUR HAIR AND GET DOWN HERE!"

"Alright, bossy!" replied Tony's voice from upstairs.

The bathroom door closed and footsteps make their way down the steps. Tony appears down the stairs dressed in his normal white chef's suit. Dom and O.B stare at him weirdly as he makes his way down the stairs.

"You've came straight from work, haven't you?" asked Dom, with his arms folded.

"No!" protested Tony. He walked down the stairs and they saw he had a plastic rubber knife in his pocket and a bit of fake blood dribbling down his mouth. "I am ze Scary Murdering Italian Chef!"

O.B stood staring. "Seriously, you have come straight from work..."

Dom rolled his eyes. "Tony! I told you! The restaurant is under control! We have substitute chefs there! You could have at least made a better effort with your costume!"

"I am a murdering Chef!" protested Tony, as he came over to Dom.

"Yeah Dom, I think it's quite effective. I mean, with one look, he can turn people into soufflés..." laughed O.B

"Ha ha ha ha, Robin..." said Tony, sarcastically. "Plus Women can't resist a man in uniform..."

"That's if you're in the Police or Navy!" sighed Dom.

Tony rolled his eyes at his brother. "Whatever, women dig a man who can cook, right O.B?"

"You're gonna get laughed at, mate..." replied O.B looking at Tony, up and down.

Dom looked at his watch. "Anyway, we'll just have to go now..."

"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist! Tina's not going to disappear if you don't turn up on time!" replied Tony.

Tony grabbed the keys off the table. "I will make it my mission to bring home a girl..."

"Good Luck!" scoffed Dom.

"The Hutchinson Charm will work it's magic.." smiled Tony.

"Yes...As a repellent..." replied Dom.

O.B opened the door. "Come on now...You act like an old-married couple, you two..."

Tony walked out of the door and Dom followed him close behind. O.B rolled his eyes and closed the door...

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**7:25 pm**_

_**5 minutes 'till the party begins...**_

Marie stood in her room staring at her costume, which was hanging up outside her door. She sat back on the bed, with hair curlers in her hair and stared at it.

_'No way am I going in that...I will look stupid!'_

Downstairs, Calvin was sitting on the sofa watching TV in his costume. He had decided to go as Zorro and was dressed in a black open-neck shirt with black trousers and a long cape. He already had a black hat like Zorro's and had added it along with an eye mask. He turned his head 'round to see the stairs.

"Marie?? Are you okay up there??" called Calvin.

Upstairs, Marie heard his voice. "Yeah, I'll be ready soon..."

She stared up at the costume again. "I'll have to go in it..."

_**The SU Bar**_

_**7:30 pm**_

_**The Party Begins...**_

Steph, Craig and Darren walked into the SU Bar and saw Russ hanging up the last of the balloons. The place had been decorated particularly spooky with fake spider cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and a spooky green lighting effect. It looked like Russ had spent ages on it, as the walls were covered black and it looked extremely professional.

They were the first people to arrive, but it was set to be busy, as there were two hired bouncers on the door and people were starting to form a queue.

There were several bartenders hired for the event and also a DJ had been hired and was setting himself up at the back of the room.

Russ appeared from the bar and came over to greet them. He was dressed in a Zombie outfit and had added some green face paint to match the costume:

"Hiya Russ!" called Steph, as she walked up closer to him. She twirled around, making her dress spin. "Like my outfit?"

"Very nice, Steph..." said Russ, looking at her up and down. "Nice to see you make an appearance, Darren, seeing as this is your party and all..."

Darren rolled his eyes and smiled. "Ah, well, but you've done better without me, haven't you?"

Noticing Craig wasn't with her, Steph turned her head and saw Craig hovering in the dark corner.

"Who's the bear?" asked Russ, pointing to Craig in the corner.

"My brother Craig..." replied Steph. "Craig! Come out now!"

Craig in his bear outfit, moved towards Steph and hid behind her.

"I wanna go home!" replied Craig, "There won't be anyone I know my age!"

"Don't be a baby, Craig" laughed Steph, "You've made it here now, so let's enjoy the party!"

Music started to blast from the speakers and more people started to pour in...

_**7.34 pm**_

Joe, Zoe, Olivia, Jess, Will and Kris showed their IDs to the large bouncer on the front door and they walked into the SU Bar, staring at it's transformation. Club music was blasting loudly and it already seemed packed, full of students and young people.

Joe walked in and smiled. "Breathe it in, people...Soak up the atmosphere..."

"You are mad, you know that?..." replied Jess, looking at Joe as he stood on his own in the middle of the room.

"That's why you love me, Jess!" smiled Joe and he put his arm around her.

Olivia lagged behind in the group as her costume was weighing her down. She stared at all the people around her, dressed in various costumes. There were loads of vampires and witches, but Olivia was the only Pumpkin there...

"I need a drink..." replied Olivia, staring at the mass of couples around her.

Kris put his arm around Olivia. "We all do, sweetie. Who's getting in the first round?..."

"I will!" smiled Zoe, as she got her purse out. She held onto her broom as she struggled to get her purse out.

Will smiled and looked around. "Arr! Be there many fine women tonite!"

"Go after them, my young pirate..." egged Joe.

"Right, who wants what?" asked Zoe, holding up her purse.

"Vodka."

"WKD"

"Barcardi Breezer"

"Reef"

"Orange Juice"

"Do you need a hand with the drinks?" asked Joe, smiling at Zoe.

"I can do it!" smiled Zoe, as she headed over to the bar.

Joe smiled and stared at her as she went over to the bar...

And he lingered on his memory of their kiss a few weeks back...

_**7.37 pm**_

Mel and Sophie Burton stood waiting in the line for the entrance to the SU Bar. They had both decided to go as Vampiresses, but both were wearing different costumes. Sophie's costume had a longer cape to Mel's and was red. Her skirt was much shorter, which she instantly regretted as the cold hit her as she stood waiting in the line. Sophie had her hair up, with a few curls hanging down. Mel's costume was blue and had a dress on rather than Sophie's which was a two-piece..

"Louise has got the keys, so if one of us needs to go home, then we'll have to ask her for the keys, as she's coming along to the party later..." said Sophie, shivering. "Anyway, has Anthony text you to say he's coming?"

Mel smiled. "All he said, was look out for someone with a cow-print jacket on..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sophie, smiling.

"I think he's dressing up in something with a cow-print jacket..." said Mel, as she turned to face her sister.

Sophie sighed. "Hope Russ is okay...He sounded like he had his hands full with decorating the place..."

"I wouldn't stress if I were you...We came here for a party, so lets not st -"

Mel felt someone tap her on the shoulder and she turned round to see a Ghost in her face.

"Boo!"

Mel and Sophie let out a squeal.

Tony and O.B stood there laughing and The Ghost pulled of his mask to reveal Dom's face. Mel sighed and Sophie rolled her eyes.

Dom sighed. "Sorry, didn't scare you did I? O.B and Tony both said I wasn't scary, so I had to prove them wrong..."

Mel rolled her eyes jokingly. "I might have thought that you were involved, O.B!"

"Yeah well, you know me, Mel." smiled O.B. "You two look very nice...Let me guess, Vampires?"

"Vampiresses, actually..." said Sophie, smiling. "Why didn't you dress up, Tony?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "I am ze Scary Murdering Italian Chef!"

Sophie and Mel both stared at his costume. "You don't look very scary!"

Tony pointed to the bit of dried fake blood on his face. "See!"

Dom shook his head. "Yeah, 'cause that bit of blood makes all the difference, Tony..."

The line moved forwards and they managed to get near the door. The bouncer opened the door for them and they were let through into the party...

"Let's just hope Anthony turns up, eh?" smiled Sophie as Mel followed her into the SU Bar.

O.B got out his phone and decided to send Marie a text. Dom looked at his phone and noticed a new message from Tina. He smiled as he read it.

"She's coming soon..." smiled Dom

Tony rolled his eyes. "Come on, ghostie, into the club..."

_**7:40 pm**_

Mercedes McQueen flashed the bouncer a smile as she walked into the SU Bar. As he opened the door, everyone started to stare as she and her sisters walked into the SU Bar. Some men started to cheer and wolf-whistle, but Mercedes knew what to expect...

Mercedes had decided to go dressed as a French Maid - and had altered the dress so that it showed off nearly all of legs. She winked at some of the boys and she stopped and waited for her sisters.

Carmel came in next, wearing a Play bunny outfit, a similar costume to how Renee Zellwegger had in Bridget Jones's Diary. Her outfit was all pink and she had fluffy pink bunny-ears on her head. She smiled and clapped her hands with excitement as she walked into the SU Bar.

"Wow!!! Look at it all!!" gasped Carmel. "Isn't it great!!"

"Come on now, Car..." said Mercedes, smiling. "Let's get a drink..."

"You wouldn't believe how much male attention I'm getting!" smiled Carmel.

Mercedes laughed. "It might be down to your costume, love...You're not wearing much at all..."

Mercedes caught Russ's eye who was talking to Sophie. She smiled at him and winked...

Jacqui walked in next in her Batgirl outfit, with it's very tiny PVC skirt.. She looked down at her ankle, making sure her tag wasn't showing and she pulled up her boot. Jacqui looked behind and expected Tina to be behind her. She sighed and walked back out towards the door.

"Tina McQueen, get in here now!" called Jacqui, as she walked out and saw Tina hiding behind the door.

Jacqui took Tina's hand and led her into the crowd. Tina was wearing her normal clothes, except for a pair of bunny ears on her head.

"No, Jacqui, I was gonna go home and watch X Factor!! It's a lot more exciting than dressing up!" protested Tina.

Jacqui rolled her eyes. "Look! Over at the bar, your little boyfriend is waiting for you, next to some man in a chef's suit..."

Tina rolled her eyes. "That's his brother Tony..."

Jacqui stared and smiled. "So it is...Not bad looking, actually..."

Dom noticed Tina being dragged over by her sister and waved. Tina looked at him and gave a small smile and waved. Tony stared at the woman dragging Tina along to Dom.

"Who's that dragging Tina? The Batgirl?" asked Tony.

Dom peered at her." Her sister I think...Jacqui! That's it!"

"Nice girl..." replied Tony, looking at her.

"Why don't you work the 'Hutchinson Charm' on her?" replied O.B.

Tony stared at Jacqui as she brought Tina over to Dom.

"Hi..." replied Dom, smiling at Tina. "How are you?"

"I'm good thanks...I had to go back to get Carmel's spare bunny ears as they wouldn't let me in without them...I mean, without me being dressed in something..." replied Tina, nervously.

Dom smiled. "You look very nice anyway..."

Tina smiled back at Dom. "Ah! You're a Ghost! Only just realised!"

Tony leaned forward towards Jacqui and smiled. O.B tried to stifle his laughter of Tony's attempt to impress Jacqui.

"So then, Chef...Are you gonna buy me a drink or not?" said Jacqui, her hands on her hips.

"Okay..." nodded Tony and he headed off to the bar...

O.B tried not to burst out laughing at Tony's way of impressing women...

_**8:00 pm**_

Zoe and Olivia both stared at the McQueen clan as they moved around the room. Zoe sighed and looked down at her costume. She turned to face Olivia.

"Am I the only one who managed to dress up remotely scary?" asked Zoe to Olivia.

Olivia sighed and turned to face Zoe. "You're not the one dressed as a big fat vegetable, Zoë!"

Zoe sighed and Olivia went off to get her drink. Joe casually walked by to Zoe and sat down next to her. She sighed.

"They are all so sexily intimidating!" said Zoe, pointing to Mercedes and Carmel.

Joe turned to face her and he put his hand in hers. "So are you!"

Zoe laughed and turned to face Joe. He smiled back at her.

"Do you want another drink?" asked Joe, pointing to Zoe's empty glass.

"Go on, yeah..." smiled Zoe and she watched as Joe got up and made his way over to the bar...

_**8:05 pm**_

Max Cunningham entered the SU Bar and stared all around. He smiled and admired the way the SU Bar had been done up. He had decided to dress up and chose to go as 'Batman'. He looked down at himself and wished he had gone as the traditional comic Batman, but he had to go with the new version of Batman's costume.

Claire followed him behind and stared around the SU Bar and sighed at the number of people who were there. To her, this could have been another money-making idea for The Loft...but it seems Darren Osbourne had got to the idea first...

Claire wasn't really dressed up, but had a pair of Devil Horns on her head, as Max told her that she had to wear something to get into the party.

Max stared at his wife. "Looks like we're gonna have fun!"

Claire rolled her eyes and she followed Max as he started talking to people...

At that point, Anthony Burrow walked into the SU Bar dressed as a Cowboy with a cow-print jacket on. He lifted his hat up more clearly to see if he could try and spot Mel...

Mel was sitting down on the sofa, next to Sophie and Russ who were kissing. She suddenly spotted a flash of cow-print and she stood up. She looked at saw him standing at the front and she gave him a wave. She smiled and started to walk over to him...

Anthony spotted Mel in the Vampiress costume and he grinned as she started to make his way over to him.

"Hi...I'm glad you made it!" smiled Mel. "Loving the costume..."

Anthony laughed. "I feel like I escaped from a Village People Convention..."

"You look lovely!" Laughed Mel.

"As do you, Miss Vampire!" said Anthony, pointing to her costume.

"So can I get you a drink?" asked Mel, staring up at Anthony.

"Yeah, go on..." smiled Anthony "I'm not that exciting sort of person, you know...I'm like Fun Bobby: I'm only fun when I'm drunk!"

Mel laughed. "Doesn't matter...I like getting to know new people!"

Mel made her way over to the long line to get to the bar, when suddenly she spotted Claire behind her. She turned to face Claire. Claire stared at Mel up and down...

"My, my Claire...You look the same!" said Mel, pointing to Claire's devil horns

Claire stared straight at Mel and gave her an evil smile. "Well, I always knew you were a Maneater, Mel'

Mel rolled her eyes and turned away from Claire: too happy to hit back with a snidy comment...

_**8.05 pm**_

Tony and O.B were sitting down on chairs, drinking drinks. O.B sighed and looked down at his watch, wondering where Marie had got to. Tony was waiting as Jacqui got the next lot of drinks in.

"Maybe she's done a runner..." suggested Tony, turning to face O.B.

"Nah...She's not the runner type..." sighed O.B.

Tony looked and noticed that Dom had gone. "Where's Dom gone to?"

O.B smiled. "I think he's chased a fluffy bunny down a rabbit hole..."

The door opened again and Calvin walked in, in his Zorro outfit on his own...

O.B spotted Calvin and waved at him. Calvin waved back and made his way over there.

"Hiya...How are you?" asked O.B, looking up at Calvin.

Calvin nodded. "Yeah, I'm great thanks...Nice costume..."

"Thanks..." replied O.B. "Has Marie come along to the party?"

Calvin laughed. "She's hiding behind the door..."

Dom re-appeared, as Tina went to the Ladies and sat down next to Tony on the sofa.

"Is she okay?" asked O.B, trying to stare to see if he could see her behind the door.

Calvin sighed and stared at the door. "I think she doesn't like her costume...They ordered the wrong one for her, so she's come dressed as...you'll see..."

"It can't be that bad..." replied Dom.

Calvin laughed. "Oh, it's hardly bad..."

"It can't be as bad as Tony's..." smiled O.B, as he pointed to Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes. "So, what's she dressed as?"

"I'll go and get her..." replied Calvin and he got up from his seat and walked towards the door. There behind the door, was Marie wearing a big raincoat, hiding behind the coat stand.

Calvin laughed. "Marie, why are you hiding behind the coats?..."

"They cover me up!" replied Marie, from the coats.

Calvin moved the coat stand, to reveal Marie, still hiding behind the door.

"Come on, no-one is gonna laugh at you...Quite the opposite actually..."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Calvin, I had a sleazy man on the way over here ask me 'How much for the night?' "

"I think he was drunk.."

"While taking out his two small children??" said Marie, putting her hands on her hips.

Calvin sighed. "Look, at least you know people in here! People who are nice and friendly and.."

"Male?!"

Calvin pulled her out away from the door." Go on...You are at the door now...There's no escaping..."

Marie rolled her eyes and turned to face Calvin. "You're sending me like a lamb to the slaughter! You owe me, Calvin Valentine!"

Calvin walked over to where O.B, Tony and Dom were sitting and Marie followed behind him.

O.B smiled. "A-ha! There she is..."

"Is the raincoat part of the outfit?" asked Dom.

"Perhaps she's that girl out of 'Singin' In The Rain..'?" speculated Tony.

O.B turned to face Tony. "Or maybe Tony, it's just her coat?

Calvin laughs as Marie walks towards them. "Take off the coat, Marie..."

Marie walks in and takes her coat off and throws it at Calvin. He laughs as he catches the coat.

"There you go, Master Zorro! Honestly, you act like my sister sometimes..."

Marie reveals her costume and it turns out to be a Wonder Woman costume. She was wearing a red low-revealing top with the Justice League symbol on, a very short blue with white dot skirt with a gold belt. On her wrists are gold bands and she is also wearing knee-high red high-heeled boots with a white stripe running all the way down. Her hair is in curls and she is wearing a small gold tiara to go with the outfit.

O.B, Tony and Dom gawp as she walks over to them.

O.B is about to say something, when Marie turns to look at him.

"Don't start! I've had dads with 6 year old kids trying to grope me on the way over here ..." sighed Marie.

All three of the men are gawping still at her.

"You think this looks okay on me?" asked Marie, looking down at herself.

All three of them nod.

"Okay then.." smiled Marie. "Let me guess your costumes...Dom is a Ghost?"

Dom smiled and nodded.

"Okay, then O.B is ...Robin, I think?"

O.B smiled. "Yeah, they ran out of Batman costumes..."

"Yay! At least I'm not the only superhero here!" smiled Marie. "And then Tony is...himself?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "I am ze Murdering Italian Chef..." he mumbled quietly.

Tina reappeared from the Ladies and sat down next to Dom and they began chatting again. Jacqui re-appeared with the drinks for her and Tony and she sat down next to him.

"Jacqui, this is O.B" Tony said, pointing to O.B.

Jacqui waved at O.B and O.B nodded back at her.

"This is Calvin Valentine..." said Tony pointing to Calvin.

Calvin smiled at Jacqui as she nodded at him.

"And this is Marie Roberts..." said Tony, pointing at Marie.

Marie gave a small smile to Jacqui. Jacqui stared at Marie and moved closer.

"I recognise you..." said Jacqui, smiling.

Marie suddenly turned to face Jacqui "Me? Oh no, I've only just moved here..."

Jacqui continued to look at Marie, still thinking...

"Shall I go and get drinks?" asked O.B, looking at Marie and Calvin.

"Yeah sure..." smiled Calvin.

O.B got up off his seat and smiled back at Marie as he went towards the bar.

Jacqui looked at Marie again. "I swear I've seen you somewhere else before...I never forget a face..."

"Ummm...I don't think so..." replied Marie, giving Jacqui a small smile.

O.B got into the line for the bar when he suddenly recognised someone from in front of him...

The person in front turned around and it turned out to be none other than Max, dressed as Batman...

They both stared at their costumes and then stared back at each other.

Max stared at his former best-friend. "You're Robin!..."

O.B looked at Max again. "You're Batman?!...You've got to be kidding me..."

The two men turned back to where they were in the queue, trying not to say anything to each other...

_**8:45 pm**_

Kris, Will, Olivia and Jess were all dancing together on the dance floor to a Basement Jaxx song. They were all now alcohol-fuelled and they were all laughing at each other's dancing...

"You dance really weird, Will!" laughed Jess, as Will started to dance around her.

They all laughed again and they carried on dancing. Kris and Olivia were trying to see how low they could go and Olivia ended up on her bum, squashing her pumpkin costume. Kris laughed and he pulled her up.

They all noticed a couple in the corner, who were kissing. Kris and Olivia turned to face each other.

"Aww...Look at the two-lovebirds in the corner..." smiled Kris, as he got Will and Jess's attention.

Kris, Will, Olivia and Jess all stopped dancing and stared at the couple in the corner.

"Get a room, I say!..." laughed Will.

They all looked and they noticed that it was a Vampire and a Witch kissing...

Curious, they looked at them closer. The dark-haired Vampire, with a red tie was holding the blonde-haired Witches hat. They were locked in a passionate embrace.

"Young love..." sighed Olivia.

Kris suddenly peered closer. "Hang on...Didn't Joe have a red-tie?"

They all walked forward and they got a better look and the couple turned out to be none other than Zoe and Joe...

"Oh my god!! Its Zoe and Joe!!!" squealed Olivia.

The group stood gob-smacked. The two people who they thought hated each other were now kissing like there was no tomorrow...

The couple suddenly stopped kissing and it was infact, Joe and Zoe. Zoe had gone a little red in the face, while Joe was just staring at them.

Kris folded his arms and looked at the guilty couple

"So, I'm guessing he isn't just trying out his vampire fangs..."

_**Two hours later...**_

_**Outside The SU Bar...**_

By now, the SU Bar was fully packed and most people were drunk by now...The music blasted louder and nearly everyone had made their way onto the dance floor...

Marie poured herself away from the crowded dance floor and made her way out of the SU Bar, to get some air. O.B followed her out and stood next to her. They both smiled at each other. He slowly leant closer towards her and they both kissed.

O.B held her closer to him. "I'm glad you came tonight..."

"Really??" asked Marie, smiling.

"Wouldn't have been much fun without you..."

Marie sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't arrive earlier...I was embarrassed by my costume..."

"I for one, like your costume!..." said O.B, smiling at her.

Marie laughed. "Thank-you...Last time I pre-order things..."

They began kissing again, until O.B suddenly stopped. "Do you prefer Batman or Robin?"

Marie stopped and paused. "I think Robin..."

O.B stared at her in amazement. "Why? I mean Batman has all the flashy gadgets and the cool car and he always gets the girl..."

"Who says Robin hasn't already got the girl?..." said Marie, with a smile.

O.B leaned in and kissed her again. "But even you are a higher-ranked superhero!...I am just a side-kick..."

Marie smiled. "Side-kicks or Superhero, Girls always need rescuing sometimes...Even Super girls...Superhero men are usually so full of themselves, when really the side-kicks are the better guys, as they know what girls really want rather than all that other materialistic stuff...and they are more down to earth than Superhero's as they usually just love themselves..."

"Plus, I liked Chris O'Donnell in the Batman movie..."

"That movie was crap...I preferred the earlier Batman movies..."

"O.B?"

"What?"

"Shut-up..."

O.B laughed. "Ooo...Bossy Wonderwoman!.."

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Patronising Robin"

And the two of them began kissing again, under the lights of the SU Bar...

**END OF CHAPTER**

**A/N: Hope you liked it There were loads of other things that I wanted to write about, but it would have been too long - you will see some flashbacks of things that you didn't see here in the next chapter - that's if I get reviews for this chapter...**

**Thank-you to all my lovely reviewers :) and could everyone who reads this PLEASE review as I would love to know what you thought of this chapter...**

**Happy Halloween everyone!!**

**Grace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	14. No Regrets

Chapter 13

No Regrets

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its character except OCs and Ideas

_**The Next Day...**_

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brien Household**_

_**10:00 am**_

Marie Roberts woke up and rubbed her blue eyes, sleepily. She looked around, trying to focus her vision and stared at her new surroundings. The room was about the same size as her room, but it was painted plain white and there were wooden blinds on the windows, as opposed to curtains. She looked around for a clue as to what had happened the night before. She turned and looked to her side and saw O.B sleeping next to her. The memory of the night before flooded back to Marie, and she couldn't help but smile...

The faint autumn sunlight flooded through the blinds and Marie knew it was time to get up. She wriggled out of O.B's arms and held the bedcovers against her as tried to locate her clothes on the floor. She leaned over the side of the bed and saw a flash of her Wonder Woman costume. Marie sighed and flopped back onto the bed.

_'Why didn't I bring a spare set of clothes?...I'll have to go home in _that _thing again...' _thought Marie to herself.

She stared down at her red corset top and groaned. She then spotted a baggy t-shirt on the floor. Marie leaned over and slipped the t-shirt on, along with her electric blue skirt from her Wonder Woman outfit. She stood up off the bed and padded across the bedroom to get to the door. She turned back and saw that O.B was still sleeping. She turned the handle of the door and walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind her...

The flat was very quiet and it looked like Marie was the only one up. She knew that Dom and Tina had both gone back to the flat before her and O.B did, but as for Tony...Well, the last time she saw him, he was ogling over Jacqui McQueen and drinking one too many drinks...

She opened the door to the bathroom and closed the door. To her surprise, it was relatively tidy considering that three men shared one flat. She stared at herself in the chrome mirror. Her hair was a little out-of-place, but it wasn't too bad. Her eyes looked a little tired and Marie sighed as she rubbed them again. She noticed the shower next to her, and looked at it longingly...

_'God I look tired...Should I use the shower?? But it would be wrong as it isn't my house...It might wake them up too...'_

She walked up to the shower and turned the handle, testing to see how noisy it was. To her luck, it hardly made a noise at all. Marie slipped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She found the water comforting and she felt the water was a good wake-up for her...

Suddenly, the door opened and Dom walked into the bathroom, in his pyjamas. Marie let out a small scream which startled Dom and he quickly headed out of the room, hiding behind the door. Marie quickly turned off the shower and shoved her clothes on, water dripping everywhere...

"I...err...sorry about that...I umm...didn't know...shower..." mumbled Dom, as he stood behind the door.

"No no! I...forgot about the lock..." said Marie, going red. "I shouldn't have been in there...I err...I'm going now.."

She opened the door, fully clothed. Dom was about to say something to her, but she quickly headed down the stairs. Tony was sitting down at the kitchen table, cradling a glass of water and two paracetemols. Jacqui was sat opposite him, chewing on a piece of toast, watching Marie as she quickly gathered her stuff together. She was fully dressed and looked like she had been up for ages...

_'Oh dear god...Dom saw you naked! Oh dear...That goes down in my embarrassing Top Ten Moments...Why didn't I see the lock?!...'_

"Morning..." said Tony, looking up at Marie.

"Hi. I won't be in your way for much longer..." said Marie, shuffling around, fetching her stuff.

Tony shook his head. "Don't be silly. Do you want something to eat?" he said, pointing to the pile of toast on a plate on the kitchen table.

Marie stopped and stared at the plate of toast. It looked tempting and Marie felt her stomach cry out for food...

"Thank-you, but I have to go and return something in town..." said Marie, putting on a smile.

Jacqui sat staring at Marie, while she munched on her piece of toast: trying to remember where she had seen her before...She stared at Marie closer, trying to look for an answer...

Marie grabbed her mobile phone and stuffed it in her bag. She stupidly didn't bring a jacket and was going to have to brave going outside in the cold with just a t-shirt and short skirt on. At least she didn't have very far to walk...

She headed for the door and picked up her bag...

"Do you want me to leave a message for O.B?" asked Tony, staring as Marie was about to open the door.

Marie felt her whole body die of embarrassment and shame. _'Ah...The one person you had forgotten...'_

"Umm...Tell him that I will give him a call later..." smiled Marie. "Thanks for letting me stay here. Bye!"

She quickly opened the door and Tony waved as she closed the door...

Tony popped the two paracetemols in his mouth and washed them down with his water, wincing at the taste. His head throbbed and he couldn't remember a thing from last night...All he could remember was waking up next to Jacqui McQueen...

He and Jacqui stared as Dom came clomping down the stairs in his pyjamas and dressing gown. He had a very different night compared to Tony... He came down the stairs, still reeling from walking in on Marie...

"Morning..." murmured Tony, as he started to read the paper.

Dom walked over to the sofa and slumped down on it, embarrassed. Tony looked up from his newspaper and folded it up.

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a Ghost..." laughed Tony.

Dom rolled his eyes. "Has Marie left?"

"Yeah, she dashed out like a mad-hatter five minutes ago...Why may I ask?" smiled Tony.

Jacqui turned to face Dom and she raised an eyebrow at him. Tony folded his arms and waited for an answer.

"I accidentally...walked...on her having a shower..." sighed Dom, trying to hide his face from Tony.

Tony burst out laughing. "No wonder she left in a hurry! She probably thinks you're some kind of Peeping Tom now!"

"I feel bad about it already!" Protested Dom, "I wanted to apologise, but she left before I had chance to..."

"Have you seen my sister?" asked Jacqui, looking straight at Dom. "We're supposed to be going to Chester to do some shopping soon..."

"She's getting ready..." said Dom, staring at the TV.

The three of them heard someone coming down the stairs and they saw the familiar face of O.B walk down in his dressing gown. He yawned as he came down the stairs.

"Morning..." said Tony, as he took a sip of orange juice.

"Morning..." yawned O.B as he came down the stairs. He looked around the room and sat down on a chair at the table. "You haven't happened to have seen Marie have you?"

"Yep. She packed her stuff up and left ten minutes ago...She told me to tell you that she totally couldn't remember last night and...err... that you were...crap" laughed Tony.

O.B playfully punched Tony in the arm as Tony laughed. "She didn't say that!...Did she?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "No...She said she would call you later..."

Jacqui got up off her seat and walked up towards the stairs. "Tina! Hurry up! I want to get out of here!"

She walked over to the stairs, rolled her eyes and went up them...

Dom walked over to the table and sat down in Jacqui's seat. Tony put his head down on the table and sighed.

O.B turned to face Tony. "Jacqui McQueen?! You do realise what you have done don't you..."

Tony sighed. "I know...I didn't bloody know that she's on parole until I saw the damn tag on her foot this morning as she was getting dressed! What was she in for?..."

Dom looked nervously at Tony. "I don't know, but I don't think it was very good, as she was put away for a good few months..."

Tony sighed and sat up. "My head feels like a bomb exploded...What happened last night??"

_**The Night Before...**_

_**The SU Bar**_

_**9:30 pm**_

Marie, O.B, Dom and Tina were all sitting down on the sofas, drinking drinks. The dance floor was pretty packed and the music was blasting out from the speakers. The McQueen clan were all on the dancefloor along with half of the students, dancing drunk, even though it was 9:30 pm...

"What's happened to Tony?" asked O.B, leaning over to Dom.

Dom shrugged his shoulders. "No idea...But he's was knocking back shots like there was no tomorrow..."

Tina smiled. "I think he's with my sister...She's been eyeing up Tony since she walked in the door..."

Dom rolled his eyes. "I mean, but why? He's not even that good-looking!"

"But you're his brother, so ultimately, you're saying your ugly too because you're related to him and the ugly genes pass on..." pointed out O.B.

"Aww...I think you're cute Dom!" smiled Marie.

Dom and Marie smiled at each other and O.B turned to Marie and raised an eyebrow.

"From a woman's perspective...I mean..." smiled Marie back at O.B.

"Isn't that Tony there?" asked Tina, pointing to the dance floor.

On the dance floor, Dom, O.B, Marie and Tina stared as they saw Jacqui dancing in her Batgirl outfit. Next to her, came Tony sliding down on the dance floor. He started to dance next to Jacqui and started to show off his hideously bad dance moves. He stopped and twirled around and did the infamous John Travolta pose from 'Saturday Night Fever'. Dom looked on at his brother mortified while O.B, Marie and Tina started to laugh as Tony tried to show off his attempt to dance the 'Mashed Potato'.

"Oh...my...god" stared Dom, horrified at his brother.

"Tony has just gone from Local Chef to Lord of the Spazzy Dance Moves!..." laughed O.B

"He looks absolutely hammered..." said Dom, staring at Tony.

The song finally ended and _Faster Kill Pussycat _came on. Tony started laughing and stumbled across to where they were sitting. He had Jacqui draping over him and she looked as equally drunk as he did. His hair was a real mess and he had lost his chef's hat somewhere.

"Now that...was...a...top notch song!" laughed Tony, as Jacqui giggled on his arm.

"And an excellent display of dance moves displayed by Tony Hutchinson..." laughed O.B.

Tony and Jacqui sat down and they immediately began kissing. O.B's eyes widened and he scooted up away from Tony. Dom rolled his eyes at Tina and she smiled. Marie got up off her seat and stood up.

"Where you going?" asked O.B, folding his arms.

"I love this song!!" smiled Marie, as she walked up to O.B and took his hand. "You are coming up to dance with me!"

O.B laughed. "Oh no..."

"Come on Robin! You owe me a dance!" laughed Marie, as she tried to drag O.B up from his seat.

O.B rolled his eyes and smiled. "I'm not a good dancer..."

"That's a crap excuse! Come on..." smiled Marie.

"Go and dance with Zorro..." said O.B, pointing to Calvin on the dance floor.

Marie sighed and laughed. "Zorro's pulled...I can't go interrupting his romantic serenade!"

O.B smiled at Marie and rolled his eyes.

"Please..." smiled Marie, putting her hands together.

O.B rolled his eyes. "Alright...But one dance!"

He stood up and Marie smiled. "Yay!"

She took his hand and lead him to the dance floor...

Tony and Jacqui were still kissing, much to Dom's annoyance and he scooted further down away from his brother. Tony started to whisper things in Jacqui's ear and she giggled.

"You know...the thing is...is that fences...are total crap...when made from p-plastic..." rambled Tony, as Jacqui started to laugh, in a drunken stupor.

Jacqui whispered something in Tony's ear and he smiled. Tony turned to face Dom and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I need...the...thingy...you know...to open doors!" said Tony, looking at Dom for an answer.

"You mean keys, Tony?" asked Dom.

"Yeah...them..." said Tony, nodding.

Dom shook his head. "Well, you're not getting them, 'cause you might lose them and plus me and Tina are going back to the flat..."

Tony looked at Dom with a vacant expression his face. "What?..."

Dom rolled his eyes. "Never mind Tony...But I'm going back to the flat with Tina now...If you can't remember the way to get home, ask O.B and he'll help you home..."

"Don't go!" whined Tony.

"Awww...Tony...You're having fun with Jacqui! I wouldn't want to spoil that..." said Dom, smiling.

He grabbed his coat and left with Tina, making his way out of the SU Bar doors. Tony stood watching and turned back to face Jacqui.

"So...Do you want...another drink?" said Tony, smiling...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**11:00 pm**_

_**Joe's Room**_

Joe Spencer opened his eyes and moaned as he was immediately hit with the throbbing pain of his head. The light from the window shone across his face and he shielded his eyes away from the light. He tried to move, but felt something holding him down. He looked to his side and saw Zoe asleep on his chest. He looked down at himself and was still in his Dracula outfit. The talcum powder on his face had rubbed off and the lipstick smeared on his face and his hair was ruffled. His shirt was half open and one of his buttons had come off his shirt.

He sat up and gently moved a sleeping Zoe in her witch's outfit back onto her bed. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus his vision. He looked down at Zoe. A look of disappointment came onto his face...

_'What happened last night?' _said Joe, thinking to himself.

_**The Night Before...**_

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**11:00 pm**_

Joe put the key in the lock and the door swung open. He switched on the lights to reveal the messy student flat. He looked around and made sure no-one was there. He pulled Zoe into the room and they both smiled at each other.

"The coast...is clear..." smiled Joe and he leaned in towards her and kissed her. She draped her arms around him and kissed him just as desperately as he was...

They stopped kissing for a while and grinned at each other.

"That was a close shave..." said Zoe, sighing. "So much for our plan about keeping it under wraps..."

"But at least now, we don't have to do any more sneaking around..." smiled Joe.

He kissed her again and Zoe broke off. "So why did you look around to see whether or not anyone was around?"

Joe stopped and paused. "Because sometimes It is good to have some alone time..."

Joe took Zoe's hand and lead her into the hallway. The flat had gone from tidy to mess since they were getting ready for the Halloween Party. On the table, were the six shot glasses on the table from when they last had them earlier. They got to Joe's bedroom door and both started kissing passionately.

He opened the door and pushed backwards so that the door would open, but instead it hit his head. He groaned as he moved the door away from his head. He rubbed the back of his head. Zoe looked up at him and touched the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" Zoe asked, touching the back of his head very lightly.

"Yeah...I'm better now..." said Joe, smiling and he kissed her again. Kissing helped in Joe's opinion. They were locked in a kissing embrace and they slowly made their way towards the bed. However, Zoe took a step backwards and bumped into Joe's Fashion Mannequin, making her fall backwards. Zoe began laughing and Joe gave her a hand up.

Joe knelt down to Zoe on the floor. "Oh my god! Are you alright? I'm sorry about that, I should have moved it earlier..."

Zoe took Joe's hand and she was pulled up back to his level. "Yeah, I'm fine..."

They started kissing again and made their way towards the bed. He gently lowered Zoe down on the bed and started to kiss her again, making Zoe shudder. She took off her hat and put it on the floor. He starts to unbutton his shirt...

Zoe smiled up at Joe and she looks at him, waiting for him to smile back. Joe looks down at the buttons on his shirt and he is fiddling with them, trying to get them undone...

"Do you need a hand?" asked Zoe, smiling.

Joe sighed and furiously started to fiddle with the buttons. "The buttons...are...stuck...They won't bloody buge!"

Zoe laughed. "Calm down! The buttons will undo!"

Zoe sat up on the bed and got up off the bed. She turned her back to Joe and moved her hair out of the way. She pointed to the zipper on the back of her costume.

"Joe? Can you help me undo this, please?..." said Zoe, pointing to the zip.

"No problem..." smiled Joe and he started to pull the zip down. Zoe yelped in pain.

"STOP!" cried Zoe, "JOE! MY HAIR IS CAUGHT IN THE ZIP!!"

Joe panicked and tried to free Zoe's trapped hair in the zipper. Zoe yelped out and Joe's started pulling out her hair.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" said Joe, apologetically.

The hair became loose and Zoe flopped back down on the bed and Joe did the same, giving up on his buttons.

"This is hopeless..." said Zoe, sighing.

"Way to kill a romantic mood..." sighed Joe. "I mean, do you still want to..."

Zoe sighed. "I'm tired now..."

"Yep. Me too..." yawned Joe, as he lay down on the bed.

Zoe crawled over to Joe and rested her head on his chest.

"Maybe some other time..." said Zoe, her voice sounding disappointed.

"I suppose..." sighed Joe. "Night..."

"Night..." murmured Zoe and she drifted off to sleep.

Joe stared down at a sleeping Zoe on his chest and gave her a kiss on her forehead. And with that, Joe gave into his tiredness and fell asleep...

_**The Summers/Burton Household**_

_**11:30 pm**_

Louise Summers woke up in a groggy mood and stretched out in her bed. The sun was shining and she turned her head to look at her alarm clock. 11:30 am. Louise sighed and decided it was time to get up. She stared at her bedside table and looked at it. Something was missing...

She shrugged off the feeling and walked over to her window and drew the curtains open, revealing the sunlight. She put on her slippers and opened the bedroom door.

She could hear the faint sounds of Sophie laughing and noise from the TV. She flopped into the living area and Sophie and Russ were on the sofa while Mel was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading a message on her phone.

"Morning!" smiled Sophie as she stared up at a sleepy Louise.

"Morning..." mumbled Louise and she shuffled over to the kitchen. "You guys haven't seen my MP3 player which I left on the table, have you?"

Sophie and Russ stared at the table. All that was there was a stack of _Heat _and _Now! _magazines and two mugs of Tea.

Russ shook his head. "Doesn't look like it..."

Louise rolled her ways and poured herself a cup of coffee. "I keep losing loads of stuff..."

Mel stared down at her phone and grinned at the text message she has received from Anthony. He had asked her if she wanted to go out again and Mel smiled at the prospect of a new relationship with him.

"How come you didn't come to the party last night, Lu?" asked Sophie, watching the TV.

"Oh...Well I fell asleep watching _Sleepless in Seattle_...and then I woke up when you lot came home at around 5 in the morning..." sighed Louise, taking a sip of her coffee. "I swear I'm going mad, but my MP3 player has vanished, some of my clothes, and my mobile phone too..."

"I'm sure they will turn up somewhere..." smiled Sophie.

Little did Louise know was that her flat had been broken into...

By someone she knew...

_**Monday 30th October**_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**9:30 am**_

Marie smiled as she walked into the Evissa Salon. Mel was sitting at the desk, going through the appointments book while Sophie was getting ready for her next customer. Marie closed the door, shutting out the cold and trying to warm herself up.

She walked over to the appointments book and smiled at Mel. Mel smiled back at her.

"Heya..." smiled Marie. "How are you?"

Mel looked up from the book and smiled. "I'm okay thanks...Just trying to sort out the appointments...and I'm also trying to organise something for my date with Anthony tonight..."

Marie smiled. "Oh wow! Was he at the Halloween Party on Saturday?"

Mel nodded and smiled. "Yeah...I really like him..."

"Aww...I hope it goes well!" smiled Marie.

Mel smiled. "Thanks...Oh! There's been a cancellation and now you've got Claire Cunningham coming in 5 minutes now for a manicure...Good luck..."

Marie looked puzzled. "Why? What's wrong with her?"

Sophie came into the room. "Oh...You'll see..."

Marie shrugged her shoulders and took her coat off and walked over to the nail bar. She sat down on the stool and started to organise herself for when Claire arrived.

_'Claire can't be that bad...' _thought Marie to herself.

Out of the window, Marie saw a figure walking closer up to the salon. The woman was now starting to walk closer towards the salon. Marie took a good look at the woman walking towards the salon. She had bright blonde hair that was straightened neatly and was about shoulder length. She was wearing a long red coat with a black dress with a red belt, showing off her curves. She was carrying a patent black handbag and was wearing high black boots. She had bright red lipstick on and her eyelashes were enhanced by mascara. She looked quite pretty thought Marie to herself...

The woman pushed the door open and she walked up to the desk. Mel looked up at the woman and forced a smile on her face.

"Claire..." said Mel, faking a smile.

Claire stared straight back at Mel and looked straight through her. "Mel...I believe my appointment is now..."

"You're with Marie..." said Mel, pointing to Marie over at the nail bar.

Claire looked stared at Mel again and turned away and looked at Marie. She smiled at Marie, showing of her pearly white teeth.

"You must be Marie, the new beautician..." smiled Claire, as she took off one of her black leather gloves. She offered her hand out to Marie, showing off her diamond wedding ring. "I'm Claire Cunningham...I run the Loft Nightclub..."

Marie smiled and shook Claire's hand. "Hi! Yes, I am Marie Roberts...I'll be doing your nails today.."

Marie offered the stool for Claire to sit down on. Claire smiled. "It's good to have a new face in here...About time too..." she said, looking over at Mel, giving her a sour look.

Marie smiled and walked over to the other side of the nail bar.

_'I don't know why Mel and Sophie think Claire is bad...She seems really nice!' _thought Marie to herself as she sat down.

"Right. Would you like the classic French Manicure or the other specialist ones?" asked Marie, smiling.

"How very professional of you!" smiled Claire. "I think I will go for the classic, please..."

Marie started to get the false nails out of its case. Claire watched Marie closely as she got everything out.

"So, Marie...Have you just moved here, then?" asked Claire.

Marie nodded. "Yeah. I'm staying with an old friend, but I really like the area, so I hope to get a flat of my own soon, but I need to save up, 'cause they are all pretty pricey..."

Claire smiled. "I know the feeling. I came here last year to work at the Loft as a temporary events organiser...but I ended up meeting the man of my dreams and I got married three months ago actually..."

"Congratulations.." said Marie, smiling. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Max Cunningham." said Claire, beaming. "He's everything I could have dreamed of..."

"Was the wedding nice?" asked Marie, as she started to file Claire's nails.

"It was perfect...Well, except for a few hitches from a certain person..." said Claire, watching as Marie filed her nails. "So, have you made any friends here, yet?"

"Yeah...There are some really nice people here..." smiled Marie.

Claire nodded. "Although, I should warn you of some certain people that you don't want to get involved with...Well, mainly one...but I hope you don't meet him..."

Marie looked puzzled. "Really? Oh...Everyone seems so friendly here..."

Claire leaned in towards Marie. "Well, not this person...His name is Sam O'Brien...Might go under the name of O.B?"

Marie felt her throat close up and she looked up at Claire, hoping what she heard wasn't the name she thought it was "Sam...O'Brien...?"

Claire nodded and her facial expression changed. "Yeah...He's a nasty piece of work...Almost cost me my wedding..."

Marie looked up at Claire in disbelief. "How?.."

"O.B used to work at the Loft and was the co-manager of the Loft and he was working there when I came to Hollyoaks to fill in as an Events Organiser at the Loft for New Years... We actually used to date too which makes me even more sick..." snarled Claire

_'Failed to tell me that...I knew blonde-haired girls were his bloody type...' _thought Marie to herself.

Marie looked back at Claire. "Oh I see...Did it last very long...Your r-relationship, I mean..."

"Not really...He's the sort of person who only wants you for one thing..." hissed Claire. "Max is more of a genuine guy really...that's how I met Max...Max and O.B were the best of friends since they were teenagers. But then his jealously got in the way as he was jealous that Max started to go out with me..."

Marie nodded, trying to take in this new information. "I didn't know that..."

"Of course you wouldn't, you don't know him, thank god!" laughed Claire.

_'How wrong you are...' _thought Marie to herself.

Claire sighed. "Anyway, that wasn't the real problem...It was what he did that broke up his friendship with Max...See, they used to share a flat along with Max's little brother, Tom. But O.B started to go off the rails...He would come back home drunk and he used to threaten me...We were all scared of him, but Max didn't know what to do, because he was his best mate..."

Marie felt her insides scrunch together as she listened to Claire.

Claire leaned in closer and her words became harsher. "He was supposed to be Best Man for our wedding and we thought we'd give him one last chance to redeem himself...But the night before our wedding, when it was Max's Stag Night, he didn't turn up...And then we found out...The Police had come by to the flat and found in his room bags of drugs: Heroin, Cocaine...You name it...He was arrested that night..."

Marie began to feel sick. _'Not O.B...'_

"That was his little 'outside job'..." hissed Claire. "He used to and probably still does, sell drugs on the side to earn money for his alcohol addiction...So, Max told O.B not to come near us...I mean, think of little Tom! We couldn't let someone like him be around a small child...But anyway, Tony Hutchinson stepped in as Best Man for Max...but on our wedding day, O.B turned up and started spreading lies about me...Accusing me of all sorts of ridiculous ideas! Saying that I had cheated on Max! As if I ever would do such a thing!..."

Claire pretended to cry and Marie handed her a tissue.

Claire wiped her eyes. "Thank-you...Anyway, he did this all because he was jealous of Max having me and not him! But he got violent and tried to launch for me, but luckily Max restrained him...He could have ruined our wedding, but thank god he didn't...I feel sorry for his girlfriend or any girl who falls under his trap..."

Marie couldn't believe what she was hearing. _'Me...'_

Claire sighed. "But Max has tried several times to talk to him and get him on the straight and narrow, but he keeps throwing it back in poor Max's face...Anyway, my advice is to steer clear of him, because you will never know what he's like when he gets angry..."

Marie tried not to let her emotions show in front of Claire. "Thanks for that...I will remember that..."

Claire smiled. "Aww...I like you...You're one of the few decent people here..."

Claire looked down at her manicured false nails. "These look excellent! I will use you again..."

Marie put a smile on and she started to put away her stuff.

Claire opened up her handbag and handed Marie a card with Claire's number on it. "Here's my number...We should go out for a drink sometime!" smiled Claire, wickedly.

Marie nodded. "Yeah...I will give you a call sometime..."

Claire got up off her stool and put her coat on. "I will see you around sometime..."

Claire walked over to the door and left and Marie watched as she started to walk away from the Salon. Marie sat down, again, in shock over what she had just heard.

_'Not O.B surely...' _she said, thinking back to their first date and O.B ignoring a call from Max. _'Is Claire right? A drug dealer...I thought I got away from them all...'_

Mel looked over at Marie, staring out of the window. Mel walked over to Marie and grabbed another stool.

"I overheard that conversation..." said Mel, looking at Marie, who was still dumbstruck. "Don't believe what she tells you, okay? She's a liar and a selfish cow...O.B is nothing like she just said...She's twisting the truth..."

Marie looked at Mel. "But she's telling the truth...Everything makes sense..."

"No, she does this to people..." said Mel, shaking her head. "Don't let her get to you...She's poison..."

Mel got up off her stool and walked back to her desk. "Don't believe her..."

Marie sat there thinking about it all. _'What if she is right? How can I believe Mel when she's one of O.B's ex-girlfriends...I need to talk to him...'_

_**Evissa Salon **_

_**5:00 pm**_

Marie grabbed her coat and headed outside, feeling the bitter sting of wind brush against her face. She looked around at the people in the street...

Was everything a lie?

She started to walk out towards the Hutchinson Flat. She was going to have to find out the truth...

Marie looked around and Claire's words were stuck in her mind.

Who could she trust anymore?

_' When you look with your eyes..._

_Everything seems nice..._

_But if you look twice,_

_You can see its all lies...' - LDN by Lily Allen_

**END OF CHAPTER 13**

**A/N: I am so sorry guys that I took ages to update! It is all due to my memory stick not working anymore and I have lost all of my chapters, including this one, so I had to start again from scratch. For compensation, I have combined the two chapters together for your enjoyment :)**

**Thank you for all your reviews on my last chapter! I'm absolutely shattered as I went to a Fireworks Party last night... I will get the next chapter up when I get some reviews for this one...**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Love Grace xxxxxxx Happy Bonfire Night! xxxxxxxxx**


	15. Truth Be Told

Chapter 14

Truth Be Told

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its Characters excepts OCs and Ideas

_**Monday 30th October**_

_**5.05 pm**_

Marie walked up to the entrance of the flats which lead to the Hutchinson's flat and buzzed the doorbell, hoping he was in. It was now or never...

She stood and felt the cold more than ever. Her thoughts raced through her head and were starting to annoy her...

_'I can't believe it...I thought it was too good to be true...Every single relationship of mine has ended in tears...Well, me being the one in tears...First Adam, now this! What a great start to living here! Why? Why do I always have to attract the loonies, cheaters and drug addicts? Why can't I find someone normal!...I thought I did...But what if it is true? Oh god, what if he gets angry?? Didn't Claire say he used to be violent??!! Eeep! What if he does admit it? Or what if Claire is lying? But why would she do that? She only met me today and she doesn't know I have been seeing him...'_

She tuned back to the intercom system and realised that no-one had answered. She pressed the buzzer again, hoping that someone was in. Not just to talk, but just to get out of the cold...

_'Okay...If he admits...Then...You're just going to have to ask him if he's still dealing...If not, then maybe it could work out...Grr! This is going against all the things you want in a guy! He could be a drug-dealer! How could you stay knowing that he's selling drugs behind the back door?...'_

"Hello?"

Marie jumped as she heard O.B's voice from the intercom and her nerves went sky-rocketing out of control.

_'He's in...Oh no...Say something!'_

Marie stood shakily looking at the intercom, trying to think of something to say...

"Errmm...Hey! It's me...Marie...Incase you didn't know that already..."

She sighed. _'Of course he knows your name, you idiot!'_

"Oh hey! I'll let you in..."

There was a loud buzz and Marie tried the door and it opened. She felt the temperature increase as she walked into the hallway and it felt like a huge shock to Marie's system. She started to walk up the stairs and felt her heart beat faster. She saw the door to the flat open as she walked up the last set of steps. O.B opened the door and stood outside, waiting for Marie, in his work clothes. He smiled as she trudged up the last set of steps. She looked up at him and smiled...But inside she desperately hoping that it wasn't true...

"Hello there Miss Houdini...You disappeared quickly on Sunday..." smiled O.B, as he folded his arms.

Marie felt herself go red. "Sorry about that..." she said apologetically. "I couldn't bear the thought of going home in my costume again...So I thought it best to go before it got too late otherwise people would have thought the circus had come to town...And so in a hurry, I picked up your T-Shirt by mistake, which I brought over to give back to you..."

_'Where did you put the T-shirt?' _

She looked around her and realised she had only brought her handbag. "Which I have forgotten..."

"I wondered where that had disappeared to!" smiled O.B "Your red corset top is still here..."

Marie nodded and looked down at the ground. "Ah that...Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't bring the t-shirt...Are you on your way to work?" she said, pointing to the uniform.

O.B shook his head. "Nope. Just finished! Swapped shifts with Justin, so I got the evening off...Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah, that would be great thanks!" said Marie, feeling the butterflies run riot in her stomach.

She walked up to the door as O.B held it open for her and she tried not to look worried in front of him. She walked into the Hutchinson flat and O.B closed the door to the flat...

She walked in and looked around. It was just the two of them alone in the flat...

She sat down on the sofa and looked as O.B went off into the kitchen. She tried to sit still and tried to keep her nerves under control.

"Do you want something to drink?" called O.B from the kitchen.

_'Anything with alcohol in it...'_

"Umm...I'm okay for now, thanks..." said Marie, staring into space.

"So, how was your day?" asked O.B, looking around for something...

"Well, it was okay...Just this one customer I had..." said Marie, trailing off.

O.B laughed. "Nightmare customer?"

"You could say..." said Marie, sighing.

"A local person?" asked O.B, curious. "There are a load of whacko people round here..."

Marie sat staring at the ground. "Yeah...She is local..."

O.B smiled. "I bet I can guess who it is...Steph Dean?"

Marie shook her head...Still trying to not look at O.B...

"Umm...Jacqui McQueen?"

Marie shook her head again and began to feel sick.

_'Just say her name.' _thought Marie to herself.

"None of the McQueen sisters?"

Marie shook her head and tried to stop herself.

_'Tell him...'_

"You most likely had a student...They can be so full of themselves...Believe me, I used to be like that..." said O.B, smiling.

Marie looked up to O.B and sighed. "It was Claire Cunningham..."

O.B stopped dead in his tracks. Marie felt herself tense up and she could tell that Claire's name had some significance to him. She looked at him and he looked quite angry.

_'He looks angry! Oh no...He's gonna get mad! I just know it!'_

"She's ...told me about some things..." said Marie, getting nervous...

The two of them looked at each other in silence...

Marie sat there waiting...

For the truth...

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**5.25 pm**_

Sophie Burton walked into the Dog In The Pond pub and looked around, hoping to see Russ. She looked down at her work uniform and made sure that she looked tidy. She peered around at the back tables and spotted Russ at the back of the pub. He noticed her and gave her a wave. She smiled and gave him a wave back: making her way over to the tables.

She smiled as she was Russ waiting for her and she walked over to the table where Russ was sitting on his own. She made her way over to the table and grinned at her boyfriend.

"Hey! I didn't think you'd be here first!" smiled Sophie as she sat down next to Russ and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd thought I'd surprise you!" replied Russ. "Anyway, I ordered you a drink 'cause I figured you'd want one..."

Sophie smiled at Russ. "Aww...Thank-you!" she said as she took a sip of her drink...

That was what made Russ different from other guys...He was kind, considerate and sweet...Everything that she could ask for...

She put down her drink and smiled at Russ. "So, how has your day been?"

Russ smiled at Sophie. "Okay thanks...Not too busy...How about you?"

Sophie nodded. "It was good actually...Well, Claire came into the salon today and there was a definite tension between her and Mel, but apart from that, it was okay..."

The door opened and Russ immediately noticed who it was who walked in...

He could spot her from miles away...

Mercedes McQueen

He stared at her, transfixed and she walked in, with her sister in tow...

He couldn't get her out of his mind since the Halloween party...

Sophie stopped talking and realised that Russ wasn't listening anymore.

"Russ?" asked Sophie, staring at a transfixed Russ.

She turned around to see what Russ was looking at. Then she saw who it was...

Sophie sighed and turned around again. She took another sip of her drink and felt her heart grow heavy...

He was the perfect boyfriend...

...But he had an eye for another girl...

Russ came out of his trance and looked back at Sophie, who had stopped talking and was now looking down at the floor: her face giving away her mood...

"Sorry, what were you saying?" asked Russ, looking at his girlfriend.

Sophie sighed and took another sip of her drink. "Nothing..."

"No, you were saying something...What was it?" asked Russ, trying to get Sophie to look at him.

"Nothing Russ...Just nothing..." sighed Sophie and she finished her drink.

She got up off her seat and picked up her handbag. Russ stared at her as she got up.

"Where are you going, Soph? I thought you wanted a drink?" said Russ, trying to get into Sophie's good books.

Sophie sighed and looked at Russ, giving him a blank look.

"I had a drink. Now I'm finished...I've just realised that I was meant to do something, so I have to go now..."

Russ sighed and looked up at his girlfriend. "Don't go, Soph..."

"Bye Russ..." said Sophie and she started to make her way out towards the front door. She took a glimpse of Mercedes McQueen and she pushed the doors open and back outside into the cold...

She looked around and felt tears well up in her eyes...

For Sophie, the truth was hard to bear...

...As it meant that Russ was growing closer away from her...

_**The Dean/Hayton/Burton Household**_

_**5:45 pm**_

Becca Dean was sitting down at the kitchen table, sorting out overdue bills. She sighed at the pile of unopened bills. It hadn't got any smaller since she had opened at least 5 of them...

Empty enveloped and opened letters were scattered across the table. Becca was sat in her jeans and comfy jumper, with a calculator by her side and a list she had made of incoming and outgoing funds. So far, it was not going well... due to Becca's not very good maths brain and the fact that the flat was freezing as the heating had stopped working...

She sighed and she opened another red-letter. Her worries were now getting to her as she tried to think of a way to get more money...So far, Justin's wages, her wages at Pickin' Chicken and Justin's child support weren't enough to pay all of the bills...

Becca buried her head in her hands and felt physically and emotionally drained from just looking at the bills. It made her want to weep...

The door opened and a smiling Justin came in and greeted her. He shut the door and took of his jacket and made his way over to Becca. Becca lifted her head off the table and gave Justin a very weak smile...

He walked over to the table and gave Becca a kiss. "Hello...How you doin'?"

Becca sighed. "Not well...As you can clearly see..." she said as she pointed to the table full of bills.

"Ah well...We'll get through it..." smiled Justin and he made his way over to the kitchen.

Becca sighed. "Justin, it's not as simple as that...We have mountains of debt looming over us!"

"What's for tea?" asked Justin, looking in the fridge.

Becca folded her arms. "Justin! Are you even listening to me?"

Justin turned around to face Becca and frowned at her. "Sorry! Just seeing what we can eat tonight..."

"Well, I've been busy, Justin, as you can see..." sighed Becca, impatiently.

"Do you want me to go out and get something?" asked Justin, coming nearer to Becca.

Becca exhaled heavily. "No...There should be something in the freezer..."

Justin opened the freezer door and started rummaging around. "Oh! I forgot to tell you. I'm going round to Sonny's tomorrow evening, so I won't be home until late..."

Becca turned around to face Justin. "Justin!! Tomorrow evening is my antenatal class!"

"I promised Sonny!" protested Justin, as he stared back at a stressed Becca.

"Fine...Whatever Justin! Go and play video games with your little friends while I try and sort out the mess in our lives..." said Becca, angrily.

Justin slammed the freezer door shut. "Fine! I won't go!"

He flounced off and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?!" demanded Becca, folding her arms.

"I'm going to see Sonny, seeing as we have a stupid antenatal appointment tomorrow!" shouted Justin and he slammed the flat door shut.

Becca sighed and slumped her head down on the table and began to cry...

Her fairytale marriage had ended...

And now her life with Justin seemed rocky...

And Becca was beginning to see the harsh true reality of her actions...

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brien Household**_

_**5:50 pm**_

Marie and O.B sat in silence on the sofa. After telling him what Claire had said to her, O.B didn't know what to say...

He stood up off of the sofa and Marie half-expected him to walk out of the door...But he didn't...

He stood staring and started to pace the room. Having to mention Claire in front of Marie was something he hadn't planned on doing...He was half hoping that he wouldn't have to even talk about her, but then again, when it came to Claire, she won't ever stop making his life a misery...

Marie stared up at O.B started pacing the room. She quietly picked up her handbag.

_'God, he's gonna break up with you...You shouldn't have said anything!'_

O.B turned to face Marie and folded his arms.

"Right so let me guess... She told you that I dealt drugs, was a danger to Tom, tried to wreck her wedding day and basically made herself out to be a victim and me a villain?"

Marie nodded. "Yeah..."

He sighed heavily. "The bitch has done it again..." he muttered to himself.

Marie looked up at O.B. "Okay...A few questions...Did you used to go out?"

O.B sighed and he sat down on the sofa again. "Yes. Unfortunately...Before she turned out to be an evil scheming cow..."

"I thought so..." said Marie, quietly.

"What made you think that?" said O.B, turning round to look at Marie.

"Blondes are your type..." said Marie, looking down at the floor.

"You're not blonde..." said O.B, pointing to Marie's hair.

"But I can be classed as dark blonde!" said Marie, holding up a strand of hair. "Anyway...Did you crash her wedding?"

"Not crash...Just intervene..." corrected O.B. "Max has made a big mistake in marrying her...If you knew what she has done, then you'd see her in a very different light..."

Marie sighed.

"But I suppose she is a victim in this as...y-you were jealous... Jealous that Max got her...So that's why you did the drugs...to get back at her and Max.." Marie said quietly.

O.B laughed angrily. "Oh She's good!... You actually believe that? I thought you were smart Marie!"

Marie stared offended at O.B. "How the hell am I supposed to know?! I never knew you dated Claire! I didn't even know who she was until today! I don't know...I'm very confused! If you put yourself in my position, then you'd be in a different situation..."

"No...I never have done or dealt drugs!...Look, Claire has driven a wedge between me and Max...Yes, I did use to be friends and I used to live with him with his brother, Tom. Then Claire came onto the scene and at first, I went on a few dates with her...But that was it! Nothing else. She then started to date Max, but when I started going out with Mel, she showed her true colours. She slept with Sean, Louise's husband and Mel caught them together. So Claire decided to exploit Mel's alcohol problem and got Mel sacked from her job...Max believed Claire's lies and she started to break up our friendship. She's a very good liar as she said her dad was dead, but I heard her on the phone to her dad when I was in the flat...but on Max's Stag night, she planted a packet of drugs on me and phoned the police...So I was arrested and put in prison for two days..."

Marie sat, still taking the information. "Not what Claire told me...Claire said you were a dealer. She said that the Police found crack cocaine and heroin in your room at the flat..."

"Nope...That's just her weaving her web of lies...Anyway, I found a one-way ticket to Malaga in her name ready for the day of the wedding...She was going to run off with Max's money and jilt him to go off to Spain...So, I went with the ticket to the wedding and tried to tell Max the truth. However, Claire told more lies and made Max believe her over me...So, there you go...That's what really happened...What really hurt me is that Max believed her over me, when I have been his friend for years...But I haven't really spoken to him since..."

Marie nodded and felt the guilt build up inside her.

_'You really are thick...How could you even think he was a drug dealer?!...He's just opened up to you about what happened...'_

"Why would she do that?" asked Marie and turned to face O.B.

O.B sighed. "Because she's Claire...Claire has a manipulative hold over everyone...and only a few people know the real Claire..."

Marie sighed and buried her head in her hands. "Look...I am truly sorry...about this all...I was very foolish to believe her...And I can't imagine what you went through...And again, I'm sorry for that too...I find it hard to trust people seeing as one way or another they end up screwing me over...as I know what it is like to be lied to...and...I...just got scared that it incase it was true...And I know you probably didn't want me inquiring into your past...And I understand totally if you don't want to see me again..."

O.B reached out for Marie and brought her closer to him. "I never said that I never wanted to see you again..."

"I knew deep down that you didn't do it...I just needed to hear it from you..." sighed Marie.

"Well, if there's one person you shouldn't trust, that's Claire...But I forgive you for believing so...Claire is a very manipulative person and I hope someday that Max will see sense and leave her...but until then, I can only hope and wait..."

They both leaned into each other and kissed each other. Marie felt relieved and felt the guilt inside her melt away...She returned the kiss and felt herself relax.

She pulled away and stopped. She looked at O.B, looking like she wanted to say something.

"Are you okay now?" asked O.B, giving her a smile.

Marie was about to tell him something, but just gave him a smile. "Yeah...I'm fine..."

They leaned in again and kissed...

But what O.B didn't know, was that Marie was harbouring a secret...

...A secret that would be revealed very soon...

_**Just outside of Liverpool...**_

The car sped up along the motorway and inside the car were two passengers: A female with short brown hair and green eyes and a man with sandy coloured hair...They looked quite young, both in their early twenties... The woman had was reading a map, while the man was driving...

"Does it say on the map where Hollyoaks is?" asked the man, looking over to the woman.

The woman sighed. "Nope...I don't think we will find it tonight...But I think we will be able to find it once we go out again in the morning..."

The man concentrated on the road, focusing on the main reason of why he was coming to Hollyoaks...

"Does she know that you're coming to see her?" asked the man, to the woman.

"No...But we will see her tomorrow..." said the woman

The man looked back onto the road, accelerating faster...

She was on his mind...

...And he was going to get her back...

**END OF CHAPTER**

I do apologise for this chapter - it isn't that great...So ignore the crap writing...But in the next chapter, it will be revealed who is coming to Hollyaoks:) They will stir things up a little!! You might be able to guess them...or not, I dunno...

Life is not being very nice to me at the moment. It has stuck me in a weird state of mind and I feel very sad at the moment :(

Ramble over. Please review this if you like it...as it might lift me out of this rut and make me write another chapter...And they make me smile too:) And also what couples do u like/hate in this fic? - the most popular overall likeable couple will get a special chapter written about them:) Please review as it will help me greatly. Thank-you to you all who keep reviewing - I love you all!

Grace xxxxx


	16. Return Of The Lonely Man

Chapter 15

Return of The Lonely Man

Rating - T

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Wednesday 1st November**_

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**6:15 pm**_

Marie sat in one of the chairs in The Dog In The Pond pub, looking out of the window, daydreaming... The clouds were starting to gather in the sky and she watched as people were starting to make their way into the pub. She sighed to herself happily. Life was going smoothly for her and she was feeling happier than ever...

"Marie?" asked O.B. "Are you okay? You kind of spaced out..."

Marie turned back to face O.B, who was sitting next to her on their table. Also on their table was Mel, Sophie, Calvin and Tony, who were chatting amongst themselves. It was just Marie and O.B at first, but then Calvin tagged along with Marie and Tony had come along with O.B. Mel and Sophie decided to join the table, seeing it was just them on their own.

Marie turned to face him and gave him a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine...Just dazed away for a second..."

"Yeah...I can imagine the window must be a interesting place to stare at..." said O.B, jokingly.

Marie giggled and sighed. "No...Just looking outside...It looks like it's gonna rain..."

"More the reason to stay here then..." smiled O.B.

"So, what are everyone's plans for Bonfire Night, this weekend?" asked Tony, looking around at everyone.

"Nothing. Zilch." sighed Sophie, taking a sip of her drink.

Mel turned to face her sister. "Hang on, I thought you said that you were going to some bonfire with Russ?"

"Oh that..." said Sophie, staring at her drink. "I don't know anymore..." The truth being, she hadn't called him since the day before and didn't really want to speak to him...

"Well, Anthony is taking me out to some bonfire at his workplace in Chester!" smiled Mel, pleased over the fact that she had something to go to.

"How about you, Calvin?" asked Tony.

Calvin shook his head. "Nothing, I don't think...But knowing Sasha and Sonny, they probably have something lined up to go to..."

"What about you, Tony? Seeing as you brought up this topic?" asked O.B, folding his arms.

"I think I'm busy..." said Tony, taking a sip of his drink.

"Ah...You're going to the McQueen's little party that they are holding! Because of Jacqui, am I right?" laughed O.B.

"No!" protested Tony. "I am...just going to be friendly..."

O.B nodded. "Yeah...Right..."

"What are YOU doing then, Mr. O'Brien?" asked Tony, turning his head to the side.

"I haven't a clue..." admitted O.B.

Something caught Marie's eye from the window and she watched as she saw a car pull up outside of the Dog In The Pond pub. It was a new Nissan Micra Convertible car and looked quite expensive. Curious, she watched and she saw two people sitting in the front, reading some sort of map. She looked at the car up and down, admirably.

_'I have a car exactly like that back home...' _smiled Marie to herself.

She looked at the car and then she looked down at the license plate and blinked. She looked at it again and she looked closer at it.

_'Wait a minute...'_

She watched as a very tall woman, with very short brown hair get out of the car and look around. She instantly recognised the woman...

"What about you, Miss Roberts?" asked Tony, "Got anything exciting planned?"

They all stared at Marie, who was peering out of the window.

"What is she doing here?..." Marie muttered to herself.

They all stared with curiosity at Marie. Marie turned round to face everyone and got up off of her seat.

"Excuse me a moment..." said Marie and she started to walk out of the door.

Confused, they all stared out of the window as Marie started to make her way out from the pub door's to the woman, who was stood, looking around. Marie started to walk up towards the woman. The woman was neatly dressed in beige trousers and a cream long-sleeved V-Neck shirt with a brown jacket and brown boots. Her chocolate brown hair was very short and a bit spiky, with light brown highlights. Her eyes were bright green and stood out the most. She was quite skinny and looked about in her twenties...

"Erin!" exclaimed Marie as she walked up to her sister. "What are you doing here? In my car..."

Erin smiled at her baby sister. Erin had similar shaped eyes to Marie and had the same nose and mouth as Marie, however, her brown hair and green eyes were quite a contrast to Marie's dark blonde hair and blue eyes...

"Hello to you too!" said Erin, folding her arms. "I came to see you!"

Marie rolled her eyes. _'Typical Erin! Always turning up unexpectedly...'_

The car door opened and a man with sandy hair and green eyes came out. He was wearing a leather jacket and a scarlet t-shirt and jeans. He was quite tall and towered over Marie. He closed the car door and walked up to Marie, giving her a small smile. Marie stared at the man, in disgust and she eyed him up and down...

"What.Is.He.Doing.Here?" asked Marie, angrily looking at the man.

"Hello Marie..." smiled the man. "Miss me?"

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**6:45 pm**_

Joe was sitting in his room, looking over his designs that he had produced and had several samples of fabric scattered over his bed. In the background, he had the Fratellis playing from his CD player. He picked up his rubber and started erasing furiously at one of his designs...

_'God...Why can't I just do anything right?...' _thought Joe to himself.

He heard a gentle knock on the door. He turned his head to face the door.

"Come in..." murmured Joe, looking at his designs.

The door opened and Zoe peeked her head round the door, holding a mug of tea in her hand. "Hello! I'm not disturbing you, am I? I thought you might like a cup of tea..."

Joe gave a small smile to Zoe. "Nah, of course not...Come in...I've kinda stopped anyway..."

Zoe came into the room and shut the door. She was in her long grey jumper and jeans and looked ready to go out somewhere. She smiled at Joe and handed him a purple mug and sat down on the bed.

"I thought you could use a good cup of tea, seeing as you've been in here for hours..." smiled Zoe.

Joe sighed. "I hate the modules before Christmas...They are so annoying..."

Zoe moved closer to Joe and wrapped her arms around him. "Aww...Don't worry...They will be over soon..."

Joe smiled at Zoe and they both leaned in and kissed each other. Joe sighed and turned back to face his work. Zoe brought him closer to her.

"Anyway...How do you fancy coming out with us all to this Fireworks Party at the Dog on Saturday?" suggested Zoe. "We could make a night of it! You know, go to the SU Bar for drinks, then onto the Dog for the Fireworks and more drinks, then a take-away or something and then back here..."

Joe smiled and looked up at Zoe. "Yeah...I could do with a night out..."

Zoe grinned and kissed him. "Yay! It should be a good night out!..."

Joe looked Zoe up and down. "Where are you off to?"

Zoe smiled. "Kris, Olivia, Jess, Will and I are going down to the SU Bar, seeing as it is Half-Price Week for students! Do you want to join us?"

Joe sighed. "I best not...I better get this done before Saturday..."

Zoe nodded. "That's okay...I can stay here, if you like?"

"Nah...You deserve to have fun instead of being stuck here with boring-old me..." smiled Joe.

Zoe laughed. "Oh Joe...You're not boring..." she said, as she flicked through Joe's designs. "Anyway, once you are a famous fashion designer, all of this hard work will pay off for itself..."

Joe hugged Zoe. "You spout out some great wisdom...How do you know so much?"

"It's called having faith, Joe...Like I have faith in us..." said Zoe, looking at Joe. "I used to love Bonfire night when I was a kid...All the colourful fireworks and sparklers and burning Guy Fawkes on the bonfire..."

"Well, we can have fun on Saturday..." smiled Joe.

"Or we can have our own fun here..." said Zoe, suggestively.

Joe looked up at Zoe and sighed. "Sorry love...No can do...I need to get this finished..."

Zoe sighed and kissed Joe on the cheek. "Fine. Anyway, good things come to those who wait..."

She got up off Joe's bed and headed for the door and closed it behind her.

Joe shook his head to himself and smiled and started to get back to his work...

...To take Zoe out on Saturday...

_**Meanwhile...**_

_**Outside The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

Marie stood staring at the man, with an angry look on her face. The man gave her a smirky grin and tried to give her a hug - but Marie stepped back, as if he was contagious with a life-threatening disease. Erin was still looking around her, judging the buildings and people around her...

"Oh Marie...No hug? Kiss?" smirked the man.

"You disgust me..." hissed Marie, under her breath. "What are you doing here?"

The man laughed. "Well, can't I see my number one girl?"

Marie felt her face flush with anger. _'I swear to god, I will kill him! Why? Why do when things go nicely in my life have to go stupendously wrong?' _

"I'm not your girl. I'm not anybody's girl..." replied Marie, sullenly.

_'Umm...Aren't you forgetting O.B?...'_

Marie shook her head and exhaled heavily. "Anyway, what are you doing in MY car?? No-one gave you permission to use it! Especially not me!"

The man laughed again. "I think your sister might have something to do with that..."

Marie glared angrily at her sister. She was never the person to get angry, but since they turned up, she felt her blood boil in her body...

Marie eyed her sister, angrily. "Why did you let him have my car!!! And who's idea was it to come up here???"

"Marie..." began Erin, "You are 21 years old. You have just moved into a strange new area. Mum wanted me to go and check on you, seeing as her and Brian are on holiday in Mexico. I promised Mum and also Dad I would go. HE caught hold of me and said he was coming too. I had no option, but to let him come too..."

"Yes you did! You had an option to throw him out of the car and say N-O!" shouted Marie.

* * *

O.B, Calvin, Tony and The twins were peeping out of the window, trying to see who Marie was talking to...

"Who are they? I recognise one of them from a photo that Marie showed me..." asked O.B, confused, trying to make out who they were.

"That's her sister, Erin." sighed Calvin. "They're not exactly the bestest of sisters..."

Mel peered closer out of the window. "Who's the guy in the leather jacket?"

Calvin peered closer out of the window. "That's Adam..."

O.B stared at Adam, trying to fight the urge just to go and run up to him and punch him. They all continued staring, watching as Marie started getting angry at them both...

"Should one of us go out there and make sure she is okay?" asked Sophie.

"I WILL!" chorused Calvin and O.B.

* * *

Marie stared angrily at her ex-boyfriend and her sister. The only time she had felt as angry as she did, was when she caught Adam and her ex-best friend, Chantelle in her own bedroom six months back...

"Right. So, you've seen me, I'm fine, now, can you please go?" sighed Marie, staring directly at Adam.

"Is that how you treat everyone now? Send them packing when they've come at least over 154 miles to see you?..." said Erin, icily.

Marie glared at her sister and turned back to face Adam. "No...Just people I don't like..."

Adam laughed again. "Oh Marie...You make me laugh..."

"Well watch _Green Wing _instead of pestering me..." muttered Marie, quietly.

"We've brought some of your stuff. Mum and Brian have decided to turn your room into a gym, so they've boxed up your stuff and we've brought it down for you..." said Erin, pointing to Marie's car: stuffed to the brim full of boxes.

Marie grimaced at the boxes. _'Thanks Mom...Nice to know how you choose your child's bedroom to turn into a gym rather than the spare room in the extension...'_

"Well...Thank-you..." said Marie, quietly.

The doors to the entrance of the pub flung open and out came O.B and Calvin, both trying to look cool. Erin started to stare at O.B, judging him and Adam smirked at them both, trying to act 'macho'. Marie sighed to herself.

_'Thank god! Back up!'_

"Heya...You were gone a long time, so we thought it best to see if you were okay..." said O.B, quietly.

"Who's he?" asked Erin, pointing to O.B.

"Erin, this is - "

"Sam O'Brien, but people call me O.B..." finished O.B, smiling at Erin.

"This is my sister, Erin." said Marie, pointing to her sister.

Erin waved her hand unenthusiastically and looked down at her nails, realising that she had chipped a nail.

"O.B, this is Adam..." said Marie, glaring at Adam.

"Her boyfriend..." smirked Adam, offering out his hand.

Marie chuckled nervously. "Ex-boyfriend...Don't forget the 'ex', Adam...And you all know Calvin..."

Calvin nodded his head at Erin and Adam.

"So...How long are you up here for?" asked Calvin, his eyes flickering between Adam and Erin.

Adam looked down at the floor and then looked back up at Calvin. "It depends..."

Marie looked at Adam, flabbergasted. "On what?!"

Adam looked at Marie, putting on his 'puppy-dog eyed' expression. "We need to talk..."

Marie laughed. O.B, Calvin, Erin and Adam stared at her weirdly. She stop laughing and looked at Adam, putting on a serious face. "No way..."

Erin grabbed hold of Marie's wrist and gave a smile to the three men. "Excuse us just for one second..."

Erin dragged Marie over to the other side of the street. "You and Adam need to talk..." hissed Erin.

"No we don't!" protested Marie. "I have wasted enough time on him!"

Erin rolled her eyes. "Don't be so stubborn! Give him a chance! He is still madly in love with you..."

Marie felt her face get hotter. "I don't care! Even if he said that he lost all of his money and that he was having to live on the streets, I still wouldn't care! Besides, I don't want to talk to him! Why should I? Do you remember what he did to me?"

Erin sighed. "I know he cheated on you, but he's very upset and he's missing you...And anyway, who is this O.B?"

"A friend..." replied Marie, lying through her teeth. The last thing she wanted was her sister ranting and raving about how selfish she was for moving on...

Erin folded her arms. "You've slept with him, haven't you?"

Marie felt her face go red. "That's none of your business!"

Erin laughed. "I can tell when you're lying, Marie...How long has your relationship with him been going on?"

"Nearly two months..." replied Marie, honestly. "And I don't wanna mess things up! So, I'd appreciate it if you took Adam home..."

"Does he know?" said Erin, with a serious look on her face.

Marie stared back at her sister. "About what?"

"You know what..." said Erin, quietly.

Marie stood staring at her sister and looked down at the floor, nervously. "This conversation ends here..."

Marie walked away from her sister and started to make her way back to the three men, who were all facing away from each other: an awkward silence that was silently unbearable...

"So..." began Calvin. "Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Adam was about to speak, when Marie butted in. "They are staying at the B+B, aren't you?" she said, glaring at Adam.

Adam sighed and looked up at Marie, smirking. "They're all full up.."

Marie looked at Adam, wanting to kill him.

_'He's doing this deliberately!! The bastard...'_

"Well, you are more than welcome to come and stay with me..." said Calvin, looking at Adam.

"Gee, thanks..." smiled Adam, "That would be great..."

Marie stared back at Adam, her face fuming with anger.

O.B looked up at Marie and looked at Adam and then back at Marie. "Well...I best go now...I'll call you later..."

Marie looked at O.B as he started to walk away. She quickly ran after him as he started to walk away.

"O.B! Wait up!" called Marie, hoping he would stop. O.B stopped in his tracks and Marie quickly ran over to where he was standing.

"Look..." sighed Marie. "I had no idea that they were turning up...They just kind of appeared from nowhere...I had no idea that portentous git was on his way either..."

"It's okay. I understand. You two need to talk..." sighed O.B.

Marie came closer to him. "No no no no...You've got completely the wrong idea! I don't want to get back with him...ever! I hate him! I really do! Honestly, whenever I see him, all I wanna do is throttle him..."

O.B let out a small laugh. "Yeah. I could tell by the way you were getting angry earlier..."

Marie sighed. "No way in God's earth am I ever going to go back with them...I am happy here...So, I'm not going to go back with them or anything..."

"That reassures me..." said O.B, relieved that she wasn't going to dash off back to Oxford.

"I will give you a call later..." smiled Marie. "I will probably need it before I seriously contemplate sticking my head in an oven..."

O.B shook his head and smiled. He brought her closer to him. They gently leaned in and kissed each other and Marie wrapped her arms around him...

They heard someone clearing their throat and they both stopped kissing to see Adam staring at them, with his arms folded and a weird smirk across his face. Marie stared at him angrily. O.B felt Marie hand grip his very tightly...

"You need to help us with our bags back to Calvin's place..." smirked Adam, relishing in the fact that he was intervening a romantic moment for Marie...

Adam walked away and followed Erin and Calvin as they made their way up to Marie's car. Marie sighed and looked up at O.B.

"I swear, I will kill him if he doesn't leave soon..." said Marie, feeling herself tense up. "Anyway, I will give you a call later..."

"Okay..." nodded O.B and he leaned in and kissed Marie again.

"MARIE! CAN YOU CARRY SOME BAGS, PLEASE?" called Adam, looking down on Marie and O.B.

Marie exhaled heavily. "Bye..."

O.B waved and he watched as she made her way over to Adam...

...But he couldn't help the overwhelming feelings of protectiveness that he had for Marie...

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**7:30 pm**_

Calvin unlocked the door to the front of the house and Erin, Marie and Adam bustled in, with bags and boxes in their hands. The flat was relatively tidy and it looked cleaner than ever.

"This is my home..." announced Calvin.

Erin and Adam stood staring at the flat and its surroundings...

"Feel free to come and go as you please..." smiled Calvin, walking over to the kitchen. "Now, we have a double sofa bed down here, if you two want to stay on the sofas?"

Erin nodded. "That would be great, thanks..."

"Where do you stay, Marie?" asked Adam, smugly.

"I have my own room here..." smirked Marie back at Adam.

Suddenly, they all heard a toilet flush and someone close a door. They heard a 'clomping' of someone's shoes and Calvin rolled his eyes and walked up closer to see who it was coming down the stairs...

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Sonny, I told you to - "

But it wasn't Sonny at all...

It was a tall man, with short bushy hair and a stubbly beard with brown eyes in a shirt and jeans, with a brown leather jacket...It was none other than Calvin's dad, Leo Valentine...Calvin folded his arms angrily...

"What are you doing here?" said Calvin, sighing.

"I came to see my family!" laughed Leo Valentine. "Is that a crime?"

"You said you weren't coming up until next month!" hissed Calvin.

Leo smiled. "Well, I've changed my mind...I'd thought it would be nice to surprise Sonny and Sasha..."

He made his way down the last set of steps and his eyes flickered at Erin and Marie. He flashed them a grin of his pearly white teeth...

"Now, who are these fine young ladies, Calvin?" grinned Leo, looking over towards at his son.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "This is Marie and her sister, Erin. Do you remember Marie, Dad? We used to go to school together..."

Leo smiled at Marie. "Of course I do! I never forget a face..."

Marie smiled back at Leo. She never really saw much of Calvin's dad when she was a teenager, except on two occasions. The first being Calvin's New Year's Eve Party when he tried to hit on her and the second being when Marie was helping Calvin babysit Sonny and Sasha when he came in drunk and he had lost his wallet on the way home...

"Anyway, you can't stay here! There is no room for you!" protested Calvin.

"I can bunk up in Sonny's room..." suggested Leo. "He won't mind his old dad in his room!"

Calvin rolled his eyes again. He really didn't want his dad hanging around him...

"Fine..." sighed Calvin. "But! You are not allowed to go out to the pub!"

"Consider it done..." smiled Leo, as he looked up at his son. "Now, where are the two terrors?"

"Sonny is at Justin's house and Sasha should be back any minute now..." said Calvin, looking at his watch.

"Are you sure it's okay for them to stay here?" asked Marie, turning towards Calvin. "I mean I can gladly chuck them out and make them sleep in my car..."

Erin scowled at her sister and Adam stared at Marie, transfixed...

Calvin laughed. "Nah, It's fine...They should be less trouble than my dad...Anyway, how about I help you with the bags from the car?"

Calvin and Erin made their way outside again, carrying in the rest of the bags. Marie was about to do the same, when she felt someone grab her arm...

"We have a lot of catching up to do..." said Adam, quietly, still gripping onto her arm.

Marie pulled her arm away in disgust. "No we don't...We are over and done! You are staying here for one night only and then you are packing your bags and leaving! Got it?"

Marie walked away from Adam, rubbing her arm from where he had grabbed her...

Little did she know, that something that she had been desperately wanting to hide would come out very soon...

**END OF CHAPTER**

**A/N: Thank-you so much for your reviews! I hope to put up the next chapter in the next few days and I hope to finish this story very soon - I promise you that the ending will be quite dramatic!!**

**Please please review as these reviews keep me going!! I will update as soon as I can...**

**Grace xxxxxxx**


	17. Fireworks and Fights

Chapter 16

Fireworks and Fights

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of it's characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Thursday 2nd November**_

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**7:00 am**_

Marie Roberts woke up from her nightmare, distorted and feeling the heat. She rubbed her eyes wearily and breathed heavily. It was still dark outside and she groaned, knowing she wasn't going to get back to sleep...

She sat up in her bed and stretched out her arms, looking out towards the grey sky. She turned herself around to look at the time and she screamed as she saw someone standing over her...

She looked up from under her covers and stared back as she saw Adam standing over her, smiling at her, holding a mug...

"Sorry. Didn't scare you did I?" smirked Adam.

"OUT!" shouted Marie, pointing to the door. "Stay away from me, you stalker!"

"Chill out, M!" laughed Adam. "I brought you some coffee..."

Marie frowned at Adam. "Why?"

"I know how you like coffee in the morning...I did go out with you for 18 months, remember?" smirked Adam and he sat down on Marie's bed. Marie shuffled backwards until she felt her back hit the wall.

"How could I forget..." said Marie, sarcastically. "And then you cheated on me with my best friend, in my bed, may I add..."

Adam sighed and looked up at Marie. "That was one of the worst moments of my life..."

"Well, it didn't look like it from where I was standing..." said Marie, bitterly.

"Look, I don't know how many times I have to say that I'm sorry, just to get it into your head..." said Adam, solemnly, looking at Marie.

Marie shook her head. "There is no 'you-and-me' anymore, so why are you here?"

"To get you back..." replied Adam, honestly. "I want you back, Marie...I need you...I love you..."

Marie sighed. "Well, I don't love you anymore...You broke my heart and tore it into pieces...I''ve moved on..."

Adam laughed bitterly. "Oh yeah...I saw you with that guy...Didn't take you very long to move on, did it?"

"You have no idea how much I cried over you!!" said Marie, raising her voice. "But then I realised that you're not worth my time anymore..."

"Come back home with me..." said Adam, reaching for Marie's hand.

Marie moved away. "The answer is no, Adam...I'm not the stupid nineteen year old that I was! I've changed! I don't want you anymore...I hate you and I want you to get out now!!"

"You honestly think this O.B can love you as much as I did?!" said Adam, getting angry.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have cheated!! Now get out of my room!" said Marie, pointing the door.

Adam moved away off her bed and walked up to the door.

"You're making a mistake, Marie!..." he shouted.

Marie stared back at Adam. "Well, I'll find that out for myself! Now, out!"

Adam walked out of the room and shut the door, angrily. He stood outside and felt his blood boil inside him. He sighed and ran his hands over his face.

_'She'll pay...Then, she will be begging me to take her back...' _he thought to himself...

**_8:35 am_**

Marie walked down the stairs to find Erin and Calvin chatting to each other at the table, while eating cornflakes. She shuffled down the stairs in her slippers and Calvin immediatly noticed her. He waved at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Heya! Are you okay? You look like someone has just told you some really bad news.." said Calvin, looking up at Marie's expression.

"No. The bad news came to me. In the form of Adam." sighed Marie and she walked over to the table and sat down, wearily.

"I wish you two would make up again..." sighed Erin, as she started to file her nails.

Marie glared at her sister. "That'll be the day when Hell freezes over...Where is he, anyway?"

"He's gone to go and call someone outside." replied Erin. "There was no signal, so he had to go outside and try to get some signal..."

"No offense, but can't you just ship him back to Oxford?" sighed Marie, pouring milk onto her cereal.

"He's really missing you. He wants you back..." said Erin, in a sympathetic tone of voice.

Marie rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I gathered that this morning, while he was watching me sleep!! That is not normal 'i'm-so-in-love-with-you behaviour'!! He's not right in the head!!"

"People do crazy things when they're in love..." smiled Calvin.

Marie sighed. "Honestly, his presence is really freaking me out! Like when he was watching me talk on the phone last night to O.B..."

"Yeah...He's very upset that you've moved on..." sighed Erin.

"Since when did you join the 'Lets-All-Sympathise-With-Adam' Club?" asked Marie, turning to her sister. "When he cheated on me, you were telling me to get my revenge and you showed me a website where they sell voodoo dolls!!"

"Well, he is a genuine guy and I think he is truly sorry!..." protested Erin. "But admit it: When you weren't together, you really missed him, yes?"

Marie sighed and nodded. "Okay! I'll admit that, but then I realised what a complete idiot I was for crying over him when I could do better..."

Erin sighed and turned back to her magazine. "You can be very stubborn sometimes..."

Marie put her spoon down in her bowl and rolled her eyes at Calvin. Calvin gave a smile and chuckled to himself...

"And I thought the bickering between me and Sonny was bad!" laughed Calvin.

The front door closed and Adam walked in with his leather jacket on. He smirked at Erin and Marie and he sat down on one of the chairs at the table. Marie stared at him like he was an illegal alien...

"Hello Ladies..." smirked Adam. "Thanks for letting us crash here, Calvin, mate!"

Calvin smiled. "No problem. I couldn't let you just freeze to death!"

Adam took a piece of toast from the plate and started spreading some butter on it. "Ah, but Marie would let me freeze..."

Marie stared at him coldly. "Yeah, but your heart is cold anyway, so it makes no difference to you..."

Marie looked at her watch and sighed. "Well, luckily for me, I have to go to work now, so I will see you all later..."

Erin got up off her chair and grabbed her coat. "I'm coming with you..."

Marie stared at her sister. "No, you're not! I'm really busy today!"

Erin rolled her eyes and took off her glasses. "But where am I supposed to go?"

"You can stay here with Adam seeing as you love him so much..." smiled Marie.

Erin glanced at Adam and then back at Marie. "Please..."

Adam folded his arms and smiled smugly. "Oh go on, M...Don't be a meany!"

Marie exhaled heavily. "Fine..." she said quietly. "But let's just get out of here, away from him!"

Erin smiled and she put her coat on. Marie picked up her handbag and headed for the door.

"Bye Calvin!" called Marie and held the door open for her sister.

Calvin put his spoon down. "Oh! I forgot to say; I thought it might be a nice idea for us all to go out tomorrow night to The Loft... How about it?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!" smiled Erin.

Marie sighed. "I have plans with O.B tomorrow, sorry..."

"Why don't you bring loverboy out with you and we can meet him properly...You know, get to know him better?" smirked Adam. "I am very picky over who goes out with my girl..."

Marie felt her anger boil inside her and she gave Adam 'evils'.

"Yeah, bring him along!" said Calvin, nodding.

Marie rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll ask him if he wants to go..."

Erin held open the door for Marie. "We best go. You don't want to be late for work, do you?"

"You sound just like Mom, it's scary..." muttered Marie. "Bye Calvin..."

"See ya later..." smiled Calvin.

Marie and Erin walked out of the door, closing it behind them...

Ready for another day at Evissa...

_**Hollyoaks Community College**_

_**Fashion Design Class**_

_**10:35 pm**_

Joe Spencer was sitting at the desk, listening to Miss. Whitley talk about their final designs. She was going round each and every student, asking them what they were doing. It was taking forever, and the lesson would end in five minutes. Joe was busy doodling on one of his notepads and thinking about Zoe...

On the notepad, he was drawing fireworks and colouring it in with a highlighter pen. He had already packed up before the lesson had ended and was ready to shoot straight out of the door...

_'Can't wait for Saturday...Another date with Zoe...Well, not date seeing as the others are going too, but still, any day with Zoe is great...And Saturday is gonna be THE night...Oh, yes! Joe Spencer, you are one lucky guy...'_

He looked at the clock and smiled. 2 minutes left. Then he had the whole day to do nothing...

Miss. Whitley was an old woman of about in her late fifties and she had been teaching at Hollyoaks Community College for 30 years. She looked down at her mark book and noticed the one student she had failed to talk to...

She scanned down her mark book and at the bottom of the list written in bright red pen with several exclamation marks was the name: JOSEPH SPENCER.

The bell rang and Joe smiled to himself. He grabbed his bag from underneath the desk and was about to head for the door when Miss. Whitley blocked him with her large body...

"Joseph Spencer..." sighed Miss. Whitley. "We need a serious talk, Joseph..."

Joe put on a smile, hating the way she always called him 'Joseph'. "Yes, Mrs. Whitley! Anything for a lovely lady such as yourself..."

Joe sat down on one of the spare chairs and hoped it was a brief talk.

Miss. Whitley adjusted her glasses and sighed.

"Joseph, I have been teaching Fashion Design for over thirty five years and in my whole teaching career, never have I come across a student quite like you..."

Joe smiled. "Why, thank-you, Miss. Whitley..."

"That's not a compliment..." replied Miss. Whitley.

Joe looked up at Miss. Whitley and made a small 'o'.

Miss. Whitley looked down at her mark book. "Now, looking at my mark book, everyone else has handed in their five pieces, three design book and their presentations for their December module, whereas you have handed in...nothing..."

Joe smiled sweetly. "Ah, now Miss. Whitley, I have had - "

"Let me guess. You have had some miraculous disease that only Joseph Spencers can get and it has been incurable for the past year up 'till now?" said Miss. Whitley, folding her arms.

Joe was about to nod his head, but then shook it, looking like he was moving his head in circles...

Miss. Whitley sighed. "Now, Joseph, you have had many amazing excuses in the past, ranging from 'I left it on the bus' to 'My washing machine broke down and soaked my project book, making it unreadable...' and even the notorious, 'My dog ate my homework...' And several students started coming up to me saying that you had an incident with a coffin?!"

Joe laughed nervously. "I can't imagine why..."

Miss. Whitley folded her arms. "No jokes, Joseph. I want all five pieces, three design books and your presentation handed to me in on Sunday. I come in on a Sunday to modulate my markings and I want it handed to me here, for 10.00 am..."

Joe looked at Miss. Whitley and sighed. "But -

"No excuses!" replied Miss. Whitley, sharply. "You can go now..."

Joe got up off his chair and headed for the door, with a heavy heart...

_'That old hag! How am I gonna get it all done? All the stuff I have been doing has just been practice work!! What about Zoe? Oh god, I can't let her down...She's gonna be so upset...'_

...How was he gonna tell Zoe that he couldn't go?...

_**Friday 3rd November**_

_**The Loft Nightclub**_

_**7:15 pm**_

Marie, Erin, Calvin and Adam walked into the Loft nightclub and as usual, it was packed full of people. The music was blasting loudly as tonight was DJ night and John-Paul McQueen was blasting the music out from the speakers...

Marie had just thrown her sparkly gold top on with her jeans and gold high heels and curled her hair, whereas Erin had put on her black vestop with her dark jeans and black boots. Calvin was wearing his usual shirt and jeans, while Adam had put on a scarlet shirt with black trousers, black patent shoes and his black leather jacket. He stood next to Marie, trying to act cool...Marie looked at him weirdly and moved away from him...

"Well, this seems like a really great place..." said Erin, looking around.

"Oxford has more of a party scene..." said Adam, looking smug at Marie. "That's the great thing about Oxford..."

Marie smiled. "I prefer Hollyoaks to Oxford..."

"Why?" asked Erin, bemused.

"In Hollyoaks, I don't have ex-boyfriends that stalk me..." said Marie, glaring at Adam.

"Anyway, who wants a drink?" asked Calvin.

"I'll have a Gin and Tonic, please..." replied Erin, smiling.

"I'll have a Fosters, mate..." smiled Adam, smugly. He turned to Marie. "So, when's Loverboy arriving?"

Marie glared at Adam. "His name is O.B and...he's already here..." she said and she waved at O.B who was standing by the bar, with Jacqui and Tony...

Adam and Erin stared as Marie walked over to O.B, who smiled back at her...

"Thank god you're here..." sighed Marie, "I really cannot stand him anymore..."

O.B smiled and brought her closer to him. "I'd though you'd never turn up and I was dreading the thought of watching Jacqui and Tony's feel-each-other-up contest..."

Marie grinned at each other and they kissed each other...

Adam stood watching Marie and O.B in the distance. He turned to face Erin and took her hand and dragged her along to where Marie and O.B where...

"Ah...Young love..." said Adam, in a slightly sarcastic tone.

Marie pulled away from O.B and was about to scream at Adam to go away, but she knew he wasn't worth it...

Calvin re-appeared and smiled at everyone. "Marie, did you want a drink?"

"I'll just have a Coke, thanks.." smiled Marie.

"Do you want a drink, O.B?" asked Calvin.

O.B nodded. "Yeah, go on, I'll have a Becks, please..."

Calvin nodded and went off to the bar...

Adam turned around to face Marie and O.B. "The club scene has changed so much since w_e _were going out, hasn't it, Marie?" said Adam, smugly.

Marie stared at Adam and the urge to throttle him grew inside her...

"Calvin?" called Marie. "Screw the Coke, I've changed my mind. I'll have a Vodka...or several..."

Adam looked around and smirked. "I'll go and get us a table, shall I?"

He walked off and Erin followed him behind her.

Marie sighed and O.B held her close to him.

"I seriously am going to explode if I hear one more comment from him..."

O.B looked over at Adam. "He seems very..."

Marie sighed. "Up his own backside? Oh yeah, his whole family are like that...But believe me, he has done stuff that most people wouldn't be proud of...I really don't know what I was thinking back then to go out with him...He's like a weed. You think you've got rid of them, but they always seems to grow back..."

O.B smiled. "You'll be fine! You just need to stay strong and try not to kill him..."

They made their way over to the table where Adam, Calvin and Erin were all sitting around, talking to each other. Marie and O.B sat down at the table...

Adam started laughing. "Oh come on! Talk about serious hilarity, do you remember the time when Marie tried to audition for the musical _Chicago _at the West End?..."

Marie's eyes widened and she quickly grabbed her vodka and necked it down. Calvin and Erin started laughing.

O.B turned to face Marie, a smile on his face. "You auditioned for _Chicago _?"

Marie went red in the face. "Yes...We all went to London for the weekend and they were doing simultaneous auditions for different musicals, so we all kinda dared each other to go and try out for them..."

"I auditioned for _Guys and Dolls _for the role of Nathan Detroit_..." _laughed Calvin.

"Erin auditioned for _Cabaret..."_ said Marie, pointing to her sister.

Erin also went red in the face. "For the role of the delightful Sally Ann-Bowles..."

"I auditioned for _Cats_...and they offered me the role of Macavity..." said Adam, smugly, holding his head up proud...

"Isn't he the evil cat?" pointed out O.B.

Adam looked on offended while Marie started laughing. _'God, he's good...' _thought Marie to herself.

Erin rolled her eyes. "We all had to watch us do the auditions...Calvin went out-of-tune, I couldn't dance and Adam was asked to come back and audition for the part of Macavity...but he said no..."

Calvin started laughing. "Marie's audition was absolutely hilarious! She goes to audition for them and sings for them and they liked her, so then they ask her to sing AND dance for them...So, she does a jazzy routine to 'All That Jazz' from Chicago and she was doing her dancing bit and it's all going well until she went too far off the stage and leaped off it...Absolutely hilarious to watch!"

O.B, Adam, Erin and Calvin started laughing while Marie went red in the face...

A smile on Erin's face emerged. "Her finishing line was 'All...That...J - AAAAAHHHH!...'

Marie rolled her eyes as the others laughed. "Not funny for me! My reputation on Broadway has been shattered..."

"Well, your reputation might already be ruined, sweetheart..." said Adam, bitterly as he took a sip of her drink.

Marie folded her arms and stared straight back at Adam. "What are you going on about?"

"You're a heartbreaker, Marie..." replied Adam, looking straight at her.

"At least I'm not a cheater..." said Marie, staring back at Adam, with cold eyes.

Adam put down his drink and leaned forward on the table. "We never actually finished our relationship, did we?"

Marie started laughing angrily. "Do you actually want me to reenact when I yelled at you in front of everyone and told everyone what you did, 'cause frankly I'm pretty worked up enough to do that!"

Adam smirked at Marie. "Oh come on, Marie...It's like that Kylie Minogue song...'Put your hand on your heart and tell me that were through'..."

"Well you aren't exactly Jason Donavan, are you?" scoffed Marie.

Adam folded his arms. "Jason Donovan is a coke addict..."

"Exactly" smirked Marie. "You are worse than him."

Adam sighed. "That's harsh, seeing as we spent 18 months together and I was your -

"No you weren't!" yelled Marie. "Anyway, I'm not discussing my whole past loves at this table!!"

"Is that because there are too many of them?" replied Adam, nastily.

"Ha ha ha Adam...You really cannot crack very good jokes..." said Marie, angrily.

"Ah well...I may not be a good joker, but at least I can make some women scream...Right, Marie?" smirked Adam.

"Go to hell, Adam!..." shouted Marie.

"I've been there, baby!" laughed Adam, angrily. "But you know all about hell, don't you?"

"Enough, Adam!" said Calvin, getting angry.

Marie folded her arms and stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh nothing. Nothing..." smirked Adam and leaned in close. "You haven't told them, have you?"

"Adam, cut it out!" hissed Erin.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." said Marie, quietly.

"What's he going on about?" asked O.B, staring at Marie.

"Nothing..." said Marie, quietly. "Ignore him. He's just being a git as usual...I'm going..."

"Oh honey! Don't leave me hanging!" laughed Adam, evily. "Adieu Marie! Au reviour! Auf Wiedersehen..."

Marie stormed off away from the table and felt tears well up in her eyes. O.B quickly got up off the table and started following her outside...

Marie pushed the door open and started to make her way outside. O.B quickly followed her.

"Marie!" called O.B. "Wait up..."

Marie turned around and rubbed the tears from her eyes and sighed.

"I can't cope anymore!! I want him gone!! He just makes me so mad..." said Marie, tears trickling down her cheeks.

O.B wrapped his arms around her as she tried not to cry.

"He's everywhere!" cried Marie. "Everywhere I go, he follows me! I just can't be in the same area as him, let alone in the same room!"

"Stay with me, then...He can't follow you if you stay with me...only if he wanted to see Tony and Jacqui get drunk and watch them chat each other up..."

Marie smiled. "Thank-you..."

He kissed her and she felt the anger melt away, then they both started to walk back to the flat...

**_Saturday 4th_** **_November_**

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**11:00 am**_

Joe was sat in his room, desperately trying to get his work down. After staying up nearly 12 hours straight trying to get the work done, he felt as if he wasn't making any progress. Around him on his floor were heaps of fabrics and booklets and his prototype models...

So far he had managed to get 2 pieces down and 1 finished project book...He sighed down at his work and realised that he still had loads more work to do...

He yawned and tried not to let tiredness get in the way...

_'What am I gonna do? I'm not even close enough to finishing! Oh god, I promised Zoe that we would go out tonight!!...How am I gonna tell her? It will break her heart!!'_

He heard a knock at his door and he sighed. "Come in..."

Zoe peeked her head 'round and smiled. "Heya! Just wondering if you would like some toast? Will is making some now, if you want any..."

Joe shook his head and put on a smile. "Nah, I'm okay...I really need to get this done..."

Zoe smiled. "Ah well...At least tonight, you can relax and let your hair down!"

Joe looked down at his work and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose..."

"It's gonna be so much fun!" smiled Zoe. "I better not disturb you too much..."

She was about to head out of the door, when Joe hesitated...

"Zoe?" he called, softly.

Zoe smiled and turned around to face Joe. "Yeah?"

_'Tell her now!...Tell her before it's too late!!...'_

"Umm...I...nothing..." smiled Joe.

Zoe rolled her eyes and smiled at Joe. "I better leave you now...You've been working so hard this year!...You really have changed my view on you..."

Joe nodded, trying not to let his sadness emerge on his face...

Zoe closed the door silently. Joe buried his head in his hands and looked down at the work around him...

_'Why do you always have to leave things to the last minute!! Your career could kill off what you have with Zoe!...Why does everything go wrong when everything seems to be going right?'_

He sighed and tried to get back to his work...

...But with tomorrow looming over him, his guilty conscience tormented his mind...

_**Saturday 5th November**_

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**6:00 pm**_

Jack Osbourne watched as Darren and Craig started setting up the fireworks display in the garden of the pub...People were already gathering round

"Don't put them too close to the stands!" called Jack, "We don't want to blow up the people!"

Darren rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dad..." he said, sarcastically.

People were already starting to gather in the pub and Frankie and Steph felt rushed off their feet...

It was getting pretty packed and it seemed everyone either just wanted to see a decent fireworks display or they couldn't be bothered to go to the big Bonfire display in Chester...

The door of the pub opened and Jess, Will, Kris, Olivia and Zoe walked in, shivering from the cold. Jess started rubbing her hands as the fire in the pub made the place toastily warm. Kris took of his scarf and sighed at the warmth of the pub. Olivia took off her red bobble hat and let her hair loose, while Will and Zoe stood around, trying to warm up...

"I love November! The coldness outside and the near fact that it's Christmas!!" grinned Kris and he took off his red coat...

"I hope they've got food out...I'm starving!" whined Olivia and she shivered and moved away from the doorway.

"I hope there are some decent guys here tonight..." sighed Jess, looking around the room, trying to spot any potential heartthrobs...

"Where's Joe?" asked Will, looking around.

Zoe smiled. "He's coming in a bit. He said he just had one more thing to finish before he was going to come..."

Zoe heard the tinkle of her mobile phone and she opened her bag and retrieved it from the bottom of her bag. Kris leaned over her shoulder to see who was calling...

"Speak of the devil!" smiled Kris...

Zoe smiled and flipped her phone open. "Hello?"

_"Zoe, it's me, Joe..." came the quiet voice of Joe._

"Hey Joe! We are going to get drinks in...Do you want me to order you one?" asked Zoe, walking over towards the window...

Zoe heard Joe sigh on the other side of the line. _"Umm...no...Listen Zoe, I can't come out tonight..."_

Zoe's smile disappeared from her face. "Oh...But why?"

_"Look, I didn't tell you the truth. I'm way behind with my work and it's got to be in for tomorrow...I'm really sorry Zoe..."_

Zoe sighed and looked down at the floor. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Joe sighed. _"I didn't want to upset you 'cause I -_

"So, you'd thought you'd just tell me when you were supposed to be here as you'd thought that if you'd done the honest thing and told me earlier, I would get more upset rather than leaving it to the last minute?!" said Zoe, raising her voice.

_"No! I didn't mean it like that, Zoe..."_

"I knew it! I thought you'd changed, but this totally proves that you can't be honest at all!" shouted Zoe.

Kris, Will, Olivia and Jess stared over at Zoe, who was getting angry...

_"Zoe, please, listen to me!" _pleaded Joe on the other line.

"NO! You promised me, Joe!! I thought we were moving forward with our relationship, but we're moving backwards instead!!" cried Zoe.

_"Zoe, words cannot describe how sorry I am...I will make it up to you..."_

"I don't care anymore, Joe!" sighed Zoe. "Look, I'm going now..."

_"Zoe, wait, please..."_

Zoe felt the bitter sting of tears well up in her eyes. "Joe, I wouldn't have minded you not coming tonight, but the thing was, you weren't honest with me! That's what upsets me the most!!"

_"I didn't know how you would have reacted! I was scared!"_

"Nothing would have changed!!" said Zoe, raising her voice. "I would have been glad that you were honest with me instead bringing my hopes up and then letting me down! Am I really that awful that you can't tell me anything?!"

_"No, I didn't mean it like that!"_

Zoe started to get upset. "No, Joe, You never mean anything! You're stone cold! I can't read you because you never let anyone in! I'm gonna go now..."

_"Zoe, baby, listen to me..."_

"I AM NOT YOUR BABY!" shouted Zoe. "GOODBYE JOE!"

She pushed the 'End Call' button hard on her phone and tossed her phone down on the table...Kris, Will, Olivia and Jess all came and sat down next to her at the table. Kris put his arm around Zoe and Zoe felt like crying...

"I'm guessing he's not coming then?" said Kris, sighing.

"He's working..." sighed Zoe. "But he didn't tell me...He never tells me anything..."

Kris hugged Zoe and she sighed heavily. "You need a drink..."

"I'll get a round in..." suggested Will.

"Don't worry, Zoe..." smiled Olivia. "You know Joe...He will come back here, begging for your forgiveness and you two will make up..."

"I'm fed up with lies..." sighed Zoe. "I'll have a Vodka, if anyone's ordering..."

Jess put her arm also around Zoe. "Listen. Relax...Forget about Joe and just enjoy the fireworks tonight...We all need a deserved break tonight, so just let your hair down and celebrate Guy Fawkes...or whatever he was called..."

Zoe gave a small smile back to Jess. "I suppose..."

"Right!" smiled Will. "Order up, 'cause I'm paying and that isn't very often!

* * *

Marie, O.B, Tony, Jacqui, Tina and Dom all walked into the pub and all stood around. Tina had invited them all to go to the fireworks party that the McQueen were planning to hold. However, one of the fireworks went astray and it set some of the grass on fire...So, they all decided to go the fireworks party at The Dog...

"Well, that fireworks party was...interesting..." replied Dom, looking at Tina.

"I'm so sorry guys...My family are awful at practical things..." sighed Tina.

"Hey!" said Jacqui, offended. "I'm practical!"

"Are you sure your brother will be okay? Was it an expensive jacket that got burned?..." asked Marie.

"He'll be fine..." smiled Tina. "He's got tons of those jackets in his wardrobe..."

"I'll get the first round in..." smiled Tony and he reached into his pocket and tried to get his wallet. He patted his jeans pocket and looked around, trying to locate his wallet...

Tony looked up sheepishly at everyone. "I must have left it at the house..."

"Well, you might find that the cash has gone when you get it back..." said Jacqui, laughing.

"I'll get them in.." suggested Marie.

"No, I'll get them in..." smiled O.B.

Marie rolled her eyes. "It's not the nineteenth century! Girls can buy drinks!"

Tony smiled. "Aww...That's very sweet of you...I'll have a Orange juice for now..."

Jacqui rolled her eyes and she turned to Tony. "You're such a girl..."

She smiled at Marie. "I'll have a Barcadi, cheers love.."

Dom smiled. "I'll have a Beer thanks..."

"I'll have a Gin and Tonic, thanks!" said Tina, sweetly.

Marie nodded and she headed off to the bar. O.B followed her and he gently slid his hands over her waist. Marie smiled and she looked over at him.

"You forgot to ask me..." smiled O.B.

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. "I already know what you want..."

"Oh yeah? What's that then?" said O.B and he kissed her neck.

Marie was about to say something when Adam popped up to the side of her and smirked at her. Marie sighed heavily and O.B removed his hands from her waist...

"You didn't go home last night..." smirked Adam.

Marie sighed. "I'm sorry, does that bother you?"

"Nope. Just typical of you..." replied Adam

"Excuse me?" asked Marie, folding her arms.

"Always running away from situations you can't handle..." smirked Adam.

Frankie appeared at the bar and smiled at Marie. "Hello, love...What can I get you?"

Marie turned away from Adam and smiled at Frankie, listing the drinks...

Jack Osbourne came in from outside and clapped his hands. "Listen up everyone!" he called and everyone turned to face Jack.

"The fireworks display will begin shortly, so if you would like to follow me and come outside and watch them!"

Marie paid for the drinks and O.B helped her carry them over to the table. Adam stood watching Marie and headed outside where Erin and Calvin were waiting for him...

"Shall we go outside?" suggested Tony.

The six of them made their way outside into the cold again and noticed many people had come to watch the display. They all stood back as Darren and Craig were operating the fireworks. Marie peered over and she saw Calvin, Erin and Adam standing together. Calvin spotted her and he waved at her. Calvin, Erin and Adam all moved over to where Marie and the others were standing...

"Haven't seen you all day!" smiled Calvin. "Was your day as fun as mine?"

Marie nodded and smiled. "It's been good, yeah...What did you do?"

"Absolutely bloody nothing..." replied Calvin and Marie laughed.

Sophie Burton made her way across out from the steps of the pub and smiled at Marie. She was on her own - no Russ with her or anything...

Sophie smiled at Marie. "Hiya! You don't mind if I join you, do you? It's just that Mel's gone off with Anthony to a party, Louise has gone to visit a friend and I'm all on my own..."

"Of course!" smiled Marie. "You haven't missed much, they haven't started the fireworks yet..."

Adam smirked at Marie. "So, it seems you have made quite a few friends now, hasn't it?"

"Yes...What has that got to do with you?..." said Marie, frowning at Adam.

Adam folded his arms. "Well, you only had a few friends back at Oxford and we all know what THEY were like..."

"Who's he?" whispered Sophie to O.B.

"Her ex...Adam..." sighed O.B.

Erin rolled her eyes and tried to get Adam to move away from Marie. "Come on, Adam. Let's not say anything that we will regret..."

Adam pushed Erin away. "No, actually, I have a good mind to tell everyone what Marie is really like!"

Marie exhaled heavily. "For God's sake, Adam! Will you just sod off and leave me alone! I'm fed up of you hanging around me like a pathetic weed!!"

"Pathetic Weed, am I?" laughed Adam, bitterly. "That's a bit rich coming from you!"

"How dare you!!!" shouted Marie. "I was nothing but good to you and then you broke my heart, you stupid git!"

People were starting to notice Marie and Adam shouting and they all turned around to stare at them...

"Well, Marie, YOU haven't exactly what we call INNOCENT!" laughed Adam, bitterly.

Calvin came in and faced Adam. "Okay, mate, you've had your say, so we'll just leave it at that, shall we?"

"Yeah, go back to the hell-hole you belong to, Adam!" shouted Marie.

"NO-ONE KNOWS THE REAL YOU, LIKE I DO, MARIE!" shouted Adam "...AND I KNOW YOUR SECRET AND I'M WILLING TO IGNORE THAT, BUT I DON'T THINK THESE PEOPLE WILL WHEN THEY FIND OUT ABOUT THEM!"

Marie began to look worried and people started to look at her. "YOU'RE BEING RIDICULOUS!!"

"_OH! _I FORGOT!" smiled Adam, evilly. "They don't know! Shall I tell them?!"

Marie shook her head and tried to push Adam away. "No! I don't know what you are on about!!"

"DON'T BE SO PATHETIC, MARIE! YOU KNOW FULL WELL, WHAT I'M GOING ON ABOUT!" shouted Adam.

Jack turned to Frankie and pointed to the back of the crowd. "What's going back down there?"

"Mate, I think you should just leave her alone, okay?" said O.B to Adam, coolly.

"POOR OLD MARIE DANIELLE ROBERTS...MOVED AWAY FROM MOMMY AND DADDY TO START A NEW LIFE...TO BE A GROWN-UP!...HA! SHE MOVED HERE FOR A COMPLETLEY DIFFERENT REASON!" laughed Adam, manically.

"Adam, BUTTON IT!" shouted Erin.

"What is he saying, Marie?" asked O.B.

"Nothing. HE'S JUST BEING AN ARSEHOLE!" shouted Marie at Adam.

Adam stared and smiled at the crowd. "I'LL THINK I'LL TELL EVERYONE, SEEING AS WE HAVE SUCH A WIDE AUDIENCE!!"

Adam sighed and raised his voice. "LET ME TELL EVERYONE YOUR 'BIG SECRET', MARIE, SHALL I? 'CAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS FOR AGES!"

"SHUT-UP ADAM!" screamed Marie.

"WELL, WE ALL KNOW THAT MARIE DANIELLE ROBERTS IS A YOUNG, STUPID, STUBBORN BEAUTICIAN..." yelled Adam at Marie.

Marie felt herself shake. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY A WORD!"

"WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT MARIE DANIELLE ROBERTS..." smirked Adam.

"NO! ADAM! NO!" shouted Marie and she tried to push him away.

"YOU'VE GOING TOO FAR, ADAM!" shouted Calvin.

"...IS THAT SHE IS A FILTHY LITTLE CONVICT..." finished Adam, with an evil grin.

Everyone turned around to face Marie, who felt tears in her eyes...

...Her secret had been exposed...

**TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER...**

**A/N: Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger!! You will find out about Marie's secret in the next chapter...**

**Thankyou all for your reviews and support so far! You guys rock!**

**PLEASE REVIEW as I'd love to know what you thought...**

**I will update once I get some feedback!!**

**Grace xxxxxxx**


	18. Revelations

Chapter 17

Revelations

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Saturday 4th November**_

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**7:30 pm**_

Marie stood with tears brimming up in her eyes and people stared at her...

She wanted to hide it so badly...

...But now it felt like someone had trampled all over her and she couldn't breathe...

Adam stared coldly at Marie as she stood, trying not to look at people's faces...

"That's right! She's a Convict! A Criminal! A Jailbird! Whatever you wanna call her!" he spat.

O.B looked at Marie, who was now at the verge of tears. He walked up to Adam and looked like he was going to punch him...

"YOU NASTY, MALICIOUS, LYING BASTARD! YOU THINK SHE DESERVES THIS AFTER ALL THE THINGS YOU DID TO HER? MAKING UP LIES ABOUT HER BECAUSE SHE WON'T TAKE YOU BACK!" shouted O.B.

"Well..." smirked Adam. "It seems like she's not been exactly honest with you..."

Marie broke down into tears and she looked up at O.B. He stared back at Adam and then back at Marie, who was covering her face from everyone...

"He's making this up, isn't he?" asked O.B, looking at Marie.

Marie removed her hands away from her face and she stared at O.B, tears coming down from her face and she shook her head, sobbing out loud...

"I'm sorry..." cried Marie.

O.B moved away from Adam and stared at Marie, who was trying to hide her face from everyone...

"See? She isn't so innocent now..." replied Adam, staring at Marie. "Banged up for 6 months...but originally meant to be 2 years...for theft and also breaking-and-entering... In words: She's a goldigger! "

"STOP IT, ADAM! YOU'VE CAUSED ENOUGH DAMAGE TODAY!" shouted Calvin.

"NO!" hissed Adam and he made his way up to Marie. "I want her to say the words! Go on, Marie! Say it! Say, 'I went to prison!' "

Marie shook her head. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU AND THOSE BASTARDS RUINED MY LIFE! YOU KNOW THE TRUTH BECAUSE YOU HELPED CREATE THE LIE!"

Jacqui stared at Marie and then it all came flooding back...

"I do remember you..." Jacqui said, quietly. "It was from Mooregate..."

"What's Mooregate?" asked Tony, confused.

"Mooregate Prison." replied Jacqui. "I was transferred there for a few weeks. It was a right hell-house...I could barely stand a few weeks, but months?! I can't imagine how you survived..."

"SHE'S CONNED YOU ALL!" laughed Adam. "CONNED YOU BY PRETENDING TO BE SOMETHING SHE ISN'T..."

All eyes were focused on Marie and she could feel the heat, even though it was cold...

"I can't deal with this..." said Marie, quietly and she started to walk as fast as she could away from everyone...

She started to walk away from everyone as they started to stare at her as she left...

Adam stared at her and sighed to himself

O.B watched and he contemplated whether or not to go after her...

Calvin stared at everyone and he quickly decided to follow Marie, seeing as no-one else would...

Most of the people were now silent and some people were giving Adam filthy looks. Jacqui watched in the distance and thought back to her own days in prison...

"What the hell just happened?" asked Tony, still confused.

"She went to prison?!" asked Sophie, also puzzled. "No...She doesn't seem the type..."

"Always look out for the innocent ones..." muttered Tony.

Jacqui silently nudged him in the stomach. "Don't judge people just because they have been in prison, okay?"

"Are you alright, mate?" asked Dom, staring at O.B, who was quiet...

At the back of the crowd, Frankie Osbourne sighed and turned to Jack. "God knows what that must have been about..."

"I'm keeping an eye on that guy over there..." said Jack, pointing to Adam. "He seems to be the one causing all the racket..."

Erin stared at O.B in the distance and began to walk over to him. She pulled O.B aside and he turned around to face her.

"Follow me..." said Erin, quietly.

O.B looked at her, confused. She started to walk back into the pub and she montioned for him to follow her. He sighed and started to make his way over to Erin, who was now in the corner of the deserted pub. Outside, the fireworks were just beginning and the fireworks twinkled in the sky, illuminating the inside of the pub with its stream of light through the window...

Erin turned to face O.B and sighed.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm going to tell you the truth because Marie turns to a wreck when talking about her past. Look, she's not a criminal...however Adam makes her out to be. Yeah, she went to prison, but purely because she ended up in the wrong group of friends..."

O.B looked at Erin, puzzled. "How do you mean?"

Erin sighed again. "It all started about two years ago now and she made friends with quite a rough bunch who were quite notorious around where we lived. However, the gang started shoplifting and breaking into houses - and Marie witnessed it all. She got scared because she wanted out and they said if she didn't do as they said, then they'd kill her. She started avoiding everyone until Calvin, myself and our parents saw her and she had been beaten black and blue. We even found a bunch of death threats they'd been sending her... Calvin tried to get her to go to the Police, but they tormented her and they followed her around everywhere..." sighed Erin.

"Bloody hell..." muttered O.B.

"Adam was also part of the same group, but not as actively involved... Then one day, she was out with her friend, Ella, who also fleed from the same group. They went back to their dorm room to find £50,000 worth of goods planted in their room. The gang had done it. The gang locked them in the room, called the Police and Marie and Ella were arrested. Because Marie and Ella had both touched the stuff to try and move it, it was used against them in court and the prosecutors ripped Marie to shreads in court and turned everything against her. They were both sentenced to two years. She was 19 at the time. Marie only served 6 months because new evidence came to light of the gangleader, Chris White and the others lugging the stuff out of a cargo van on CCTV footage. Marie and Ella were set free, but Marie had the worst time of her life in prison. So much so, that she wanted to end it all..."

"I didn't know any of this..." O.B said, quietly. "She never said anything..."

Erin sighed. "She's been through a lot of stuff that would make people seriously depressed, but somehow, she has managed to regain some sort of real happy life. She never told anyone what they were doing to her... Look, don't tell Marie that I told you, but you deserve to know...Marie doesn't like to talk about it, but Adam has just made it a whole lot worse for her..."

"Adam didn't...hurt her, did he?" asked O.B

"I don't know. Nobody knows, except her. She's never told anyone anything. But judging from Adam, he probably didn't. He was seriously obsessed with her. A rather love-sick infatuation..."

O.B sighed. "I gathered that..."

"A word of advice." said Erin, quietly, "Whatever it is that you two have...don't just use her. She doesn't deserve that. If you're serious about her, then go to her. If you're not, I would get out of it before you're in too deep. She doesn't deserve more heartbreak, 'cause it could tip her over the edge..."

"What made you think I wasn't serious about her anyway?" asked O.B, defensivley.

Erin shook her head. "I didn't. I already knew that, but a lot of people care about her and don't want her to get hurt again and it's my job to do that...But if I were you, I would go quickly as my sister has a habit of packing up and leaving..."

O.B looked out of the window and was about to leave when Erin walked in front of him...

"You're a decent guy. I can tell. Do the right thing. Go to her..."

* * *

At the back of the crowd, Zoe, Kris, Olivia, Jess and Will were outside watching the fireworks. Kris, Olivia and Jess were smiling at the fireworks, while Will was drinking his beer and just stared at the fireworks, unexcited by the bright colours.

Zoe was sat down on one of the wooden benches, watching the colours of the fireworks brighten the night sky. She was resting her elbow on the table and she sighed at the fireworks, not really paying full attention to them. She turned to look at the crowd. The shouting from the two people had disappeared and now everyone just seemed to be watching the fireworks. At the top end of the pub, was a small contained bonfire, burning away brightly...

She sighed and she took a sip of her drink, trying to drown her sorrows away...

_'How could Joe do this to me again? I thought he'd grown out of the stupid idiot he used to be, but it seems you can't teach old dogs new tricks...or whatever the saying goes...'_

Kris looked back at a bored Zoe sitting on the bench by herself. He made his way over to the bench and gave Zoe a reassuring smile. He sat down next to her and watched as she scrunched up one of the paper beer mats in her hands...

"Not enjoying the fireworks?" asked Kris, folding his arms.

"It seems I've grown tired of them..." sighed Zoe. "Just like everything else..."

"Do you want another drink?" asked Kris, pointing to her now-empty glass...

Zoe sighed. "No. I think I might go home and watch crap on television..."

"We can always go to the SU Bar or the Loft if you want?" suggested Kris.

Zoe gave a small smile. "Nah. I'll be fine here for now..."

Kris sighed and turned his head to face the bonfire. "You know, I always thought a bonfire to symbolise the start of something new, you know...Wiping the slate clean. Burning away the troubles of the past and moving on into the future..."

Zoe turned her head to face the bonfire and took in Kris's philosophy. "Yeah well, all I have left to look forward to is more work, more stress and also christmas with my family, all sitting around watching _Top Gear _and debating which car is best. _Joy_!"

Kris laughed. "What happened to easy-going happy Zoe who was always brimming full of enthusiasm and spirit?"

"She got crushed by the likes of Joe Spencer..." sighed Zoe.

"Don't be like that, pet..." smiled Kris. "Joe may be an idiot, but I bet he is feeling really bad too..."

Zoe flicked a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Well, he can grovel for all I care..."

"That's what I'm here for..." came a voice.

Zoe and Kris stared up and they saw Joe standing in front of them. He had made an effort and had changed out of his baggy tracksuit into a pair of faded jeans and a long-sleeved green t-shirt with a denim jacket. Zoe stared up at him blankley and Kris turned to face Zoe and then back at Joe. He quietly stood up and Zoe watched as he got up.

"I best leave you two to talk..." smiled Kris and he headed back to where Olivia, Jess and Will were standing.

Joe sat down on the bench next to Zoe and she scooted away from him, folding her arms. Joe sighed and turned to face Zoe...

"I know you hate me right now..." sighed Joe as he turned to face Zoe.

Zoe sighed and she tried not to look at Joe. "Not hate, Joe. Just dissapointed."

Joe sighed again. _'Oh no...That's even worse than hate!'_

Joe took Zoe's hand which was on the table and put it in his. Zoe looked up and turned to face Joe, now staring into his eyes...

"I was an idiot. I should have told you before, but I didn't want to say anything because I hoped to get it all done and finished ready for tonight..." said Joe, looking down at the fall.

"I would have been more understanding if you had just told me the truth!" said Zoe, quietly.

Joe nodded. "I know that. That's why I tried to get it done, because I didn't want you to get dissapointed. But I was too slow and I didn't finish it in time to take you out..."

Zoe looked down at the floor and then she looked back up at Joe. "Have you finished it now?"

Joe nodded again. "Now old bag Miss Whitley has no reason to talk to me anymore..."

Zoe let a small smile escape and she exhaled heavily. "It's partly my fault too. I know how seriously you are taking your work nowadays and I should have been more supportive over your work...I know you would have done the same for me..."

Joe smiled and was about to lean in towards Zoe when she pointed her finger to Joe.

"But that doesn't mean you are off the hook so easily...We have to promise each other to tell each other everything...Promise?" said Zoe, seriously.

Joe smiled and nodded. "Yes! Anything! So, do you forgive me?"

Zoe looked at Joe and smiled. "Maybe..."

Joe grinned back and pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Zoe. "Open this. It's for you..."

Zoe stared back at Joe and smiled. She took the folded piece of paper and it was a drawing done by Joe of two little bears holding hands with a loveheart above them. In red creative writing were the words: 'I love you'

Zoe stared up at Joe, with a smile on her face. "You love me?"

Joe nodded. "Of course I do! I was a big idiot in the past for dumping you and now I felt terrible about what I did today and I am crap with words, but I'm good at drawing, so I thought it best to tell you that way..."

Zoe smiled and leaned in towards Joe. "Oh Joe..."

They both leaned in towards each other and kissed. Joe felt relieved and felt his worries melt away in their kiss...

Joe brought Zoe in close and hugged her. Zoe rested her head on his shoulders and she leaned in towards his ear...

"Take me home..." she whispered.

"What...do...you...mean?" asked Joe, dumbly.

"You know what I mean..." whispered Zoe, smiling.

* * *

O.B walked up from the steps to the Valentine flat and walked up to the door. He noticed it was open and walked into the flat to find a suitcase waiting downstairs ready to go. He heard clattering upstairs and then he saw Marie walk down the stairs. She stopped and it looked like she'd been crying for ages...

"What are you doing here?" asked Marie, quietly.

"The door was open, so I wanted to see you..." replied O.B, muffled.

Marie sighed. "Can I just say that I didn't want everyone finding out about that..."

"I guessed so..." said O.B, nodding. "Your sister told me everything..."

Marie stared back at O.B and exhaled heavily. "I swear to god, I will kill Erin!"

O.B shook his head. "No, she didn't do it in spite. She's on your side."

"How much do you know?" asked Marie, moving her hair out of her eyes.

O.B walked closer to Marie. "Well, I know that you were friends with this gang who set you up with stolen goods to get you arrested. I know that they also beat you up and that you were scared and didn't want to tell anyone. I know that you felt hurt and betrayed. And I know that it wasn't your fault. And I know that for me, I don't see you in a different light at all..."

Marie wiped away tears from her eyes. "You're very stupid then...If I was you, I would be mad that I didn't tell you and I would be mad that I chose to keep a secret. And why are you being so nice to me? I'd hate me if I were you! Cause I do!"

O.B started to walk up to Marie, but she took a step backwards, trying to hide her face from him and she wiped away the tears from her eyes...

Marie sighed and put her face in her hands. "You shouldn't really get attached to me, because I ever end up screwing up everything and breaking people's hearts..."

O.B stared as Marie started zipping up the silver suitcase in the hallway. "Too late..."

Marie stopped what she was doing for a second, before carrying on gathering stuff together...

O.B continued to watch. "Look, please don't go..."

"Why?" asked Marie, tears brimming in her eyes again. "I have been exposed as the local jailbird! No-one wants me here anymore now they know the truth"

"I do..." replied O.B.

"No, you don't..." denied Marie, shaking her head.

O.B walked up to her and took her hand. "I do, because I can't stop thinking about you and I love being around you and I don't care whether you went to prison because it's in your past and it doesn't change my feelings for you... I mean, I've been to prison, but that was only one night - but I can't imagine being in prison for 6 months...It must have been very hard for you...But in my mind, I think you are a brave person going through that and not letting you effect your life too much...I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I love you and please don't go..."

Marie stared back at him, confused. "You love... me?"

O.B looked back at Marie, who also looked surprised at what he had said. "I love you..." he repeated.

Marie stared back at him, with mixed feelings. She didn't know whether to smile, laugh or cry.

_'Oh my god...He loves you...No-one has said that to you in a long time...'_

Marie felt choked up to say anything. O.B stared back at her, waiting for her to say something...

But silence gripped over Marie not knowing what to say...

_**The Dog In The Pond Pub**_

_**8:20 pm**_

Adam stood around staring at the locals of Hollyoaks and watched as the last of the fireworks went off in the black night sky...

He took a sip of his water: waiting.. Anticipating... for Marie to return.

_'She's gonna run back home. I just know it... Then we can be together...Like how it should be...Me and her...No-one will accept her now because of it...'_

Jacqui glanced over at Adam and she glared at him. To her, he was exactly like the guys in prison...Ruthless...Cold...Emotionless...

"If I were Marie, I would have smacked that little face of his..." muttered Jacqui, taking a sip of her drink.

"I can understand why Marie ran away from him...I wouldn't like to run into him in a dark alley..." admitted Tony.

Dom sighed. "Where did O.B disappear to?"

"Maybe he ran after Marie..." suggested Sophie. "I don't think Marie is a convict..."

Over in the distance, they watched as they saw Marie walking down directly towards Adam, dragging a suitcase along with her. O.B was chasing after her, trying to catch up with her. Adam instantly noticed and smirked. Erin and Calvin looked and they both saw that Marie was visibly upset...

O.B came running after Marie. "Don't go!"

Adam put down his drink and smirked as Marie came straight up towards him. "I knew it! I knew you'd come back to me!! See, these people don't care for you as much as we do...'cause deep-down you still have feelings for me..."

Calvin stared at Marie with the suitcase. "You're leaving?!"

Sophie, Dom, Tina, Jacqui and Tony stared at Marie, looking at her and the suitcase...

Marie stopped and looked at Adam. She wiped away the tears from her eyes and she stared at everyone around her...

Silence...

All waiting for an answer...

"Oh, this isn't _my _suitcase..." replied Marie.

She opened it up and showed everyone...

Inside the case, were shirts and some jeans, an MP3 player and some overnight essentials...

Adam looked at her, with confusion on his face...

"It's YOURS..." replied Marie, bitterly.

Marie looked over at the bonfire and then back at Adam. Adam looked at her, realising what she was going to do. The others looked at Marie and then they got the jist...

"GIVE IT BACK, MARIE!" shouted Adam.

Marie started throwing things out of the suitcase until there was nothing left. She noticed there was a hole in the grey lining of the suitcase...

She saw a flash of glossy paper...

The others stared at her, confused as to what she was going to do...

She ripped apart the fabric and inside were dozens of photos that scattered onto the floor...

Marie stared at the photos in shock. She didn't know about this secret stash...

Marie picked some of them up and started looking through them. All of them were of Marie either on her own or with him. There were some photos where Marie was standing next to people who had been cut out of the photo. She looked through them and felt physically sick...Some of them she didn't even remember posing for...Some of them were recent ones of her in Hollyoaks...

"YOU'VE BEEN SPYING ON ME!" she shouted and she took the photos and thrust them in Adam's face.

The others looked at Adam, in disgust...

"Marie, listen..." began Adam, who had now gone pale...

She shook her head and she took the photos and headed for the bonfire. Adam started to chase after her. The others followed: curious to see what Marie would do...

People stared as Marie ripped up some of the photos and threw all of them onto the bonfire. Adam looked in horror as all of his pictures of Marie had now been destroyed...

She stood up and headed for Adam and she threw her whole fist to his face and made him fall to the ground, with a bloody nose. Everyone stared at Adam as he sat up again, groaning...

"YOU'RE THE REASON WHY I WENT TO PRISON!" cried Marie. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! ALONG WITH YOU AND YOUR MATES, YOU MADE ME HATE MYSELF! YOU SET ME UP AND LEFT ME TO ROT IN PRISON! I WOULD NEVER EVER GO BACK TO YOU!"

Adam wiped the blood away from his nose and stared at Marie coldly. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

Adam made his way towards Marie and he launched at her. O.B quickly darted to try to stop Adam. Marie pushed Adam back, which made him trip up over a rock, but he grabbed Marie's top and brought her down with him. People started to gather round and watched...

He quickly turned her over so that she was on the floor and pinned her to the ground. Marie tried to kick him off her, but it wasn't working. O.B, Tony and Calvin tried to get Adam off Marie, but he still had her firmly pinned to the ground by her wrists...

"GET OFF ME, YOU STUPID BASTARD!" screamed Marie.

"NOT UNLESS YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME!" spat Adam

Marie looked up at Adam in disbelief. "YOU LOVE-SICK PYSCHO!"

"YOU EMOTIONAL WHORE!" shouted Adam.

Marie kicked hard enough which hit him straight in his private area... He got off her and doubled up in pain as he started writhing in pain...

O.B offered his hand up to Marie and he pulled her up and she rubbed the back of her head, where the fall had hit her. She stood staring at him on the floor...

Jack Osbourne made his way through the crowd of people and walked over to Adam who was on the floor...

"You're barred!" he shouted and he pointed at Adam on the floor.

"WHAT?! ME?!" shouted Adam. "IT'S HER! SHE STARTED IT!"

"Not from where I was standing, now OUT!" shouted Jack.

Marie walked over to where Adam was on the floor and she threw his suitcase next to him. She stared down at him in disgust...

"Don't you EVER come near me again and I swear, if you do, I will get the Police involved..." she said.

"You'll regret this!" shouted Adam. "You'll never find someone who can love you just as much as I did!"

"I'll take my chances..." replied Marie. "Anyone who is a better person than you is all I want..."

A black taxi pulled up outside the pub and everyone stared at it...

Marie kneeled down next to Adam and stared at him. "Luckily for you, I have a heart, so I'm being generous this time. This is your taxi. It's taking you to the train station and you should be able to get home..."

"When did you call Adam a taxi?" asked Erin, confused.

Marie sighed. "I planned ahead. I called two days ago...To make sure that Adam doesn't go off with _my_ car..."

Adam stood up and everyone looked at him as he took his suitcase. Marie walked over to the taxi and opened the door for Adam. The taxi driver took the suitcase and put it into the boot and walked back up to the drivers seat. Adam walked over and he stared at Marie, coldly as he got into the taxi. Marie slammed the door and stared at Adam through the window...

Marie leaned in. "The only thing you are tacking back with you today is your suitcase...and whatever you have left of your dignity...Goodbye Adam..."

The taxi began to drive away with Adam staring out of the window as it left Hollyoaks...

Marie sighed and felt relieved that he was finally gone...

She began to walk up to back to everyone and rubbed her wrists from where Adam had gripped them...

She stared up at O.B and she walked over to him. He was still very quiet.

"Well, thank god he's gone..." sighed Calvin.

"Wow! That was one heck of a punch..." smiled Tony.

Jacqui rolled her eyes. "Serves him right..."

"Who wants a drink? I think we need one!" asked Dom.

The others nodded and they followed Dom into the pub, leaving O.B and Marie alone outside...

It was dark now and everyone had gone instead and the flames in the bonfire were dying down...

Marie looked up at O.B. "I was thinking about what you said earlier..."

O.B sighed. "Oh that...Ignore me, I was just...confused..."

"Oh..." said Marie, quietly. "Cause I was going to say that I love you too, but if you didn't mean it, then -

O.B looked at her and looked straight into her eyes. "You...love me too?"

Marie nodded and smiled. "I haven't been more sure of anything than in a long while...and I'm sorry that I didn't respond...I just had to get rid of him..."

"I seriously thought you were leaving!" smiled O.B.

"Why would I do that? I've kinda got used to being here..." smiled Marie.

O.B walked closer to Marie and brought her closer to him. "I meant what I said though...I love you..."

"I love you too..." smiled Marie.

They both leaned in towards each other and kissed...

And Marie never felt better...

_**Monday 6th November**_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**6:15 pm**_

Louise Summers sat in her office alone, sorting out paperwork. The office was messy - full of papers and documents - most of it all belonging to Warren...

She was sat at the desk, reading through files and she sighed, reading through them. She had been sorting out stuff through for an hour - trying to sort of funds and finances, when she came across stacks full of documents and letters all belonging to Warren...

She sighed at the letter that she was looking at. It was another one addressed to Warren - from one of his dodgy business dealers no doubt...

Louise looked at the clock and sighed. She had better things to do, but she had to get this out of the way...

_'Warren has been using the salon money to invest in stock shares...I knew it...He hasn't done anything that I've asked him to do! We need to have the meeting with the building surveyor, but he won't arrange it...His crap is everywhere!!...He's been doing dodgy dealings behind my back and it says here that we owe the bank money?!... I can't stand him anymore...The sooner he goes, the better...'_

Louise stared at the door. She was waiting...

Waiting for Warren to arrive...

She felt her insides twist up and she cursed herself for getting nervous...

...After all, what was there to be so scared of?...

The salon door opened and Warren walked through the dark salon and walked up to the back office, where the light glowed into the dark salon...

He undid his leather jacket and he knocked on the door, politely, which made Louise jump...

She rolled her eyes. "Come in Warren..."

Warren walked in and gave a smile to Louise, who looked up at him sternly.

"Ah. I love our little business meetings..." smirked Warren. "A chance to get to know each other better..."

"Sit down, Warren..." sighed Louise.

Warren looked around at all the paperwork and sat down on the chair opposite the desk. "Doing a bit of tidying, have we, Louise?"

Louise scowled at Warren. "You could say that..."

Warren gave a wicked smirk to Louise and she sighed. "Look, I've been wanting to talk to you for quite some time now, but it seems I can never get hold of you - either because you disappear off the face of the earth or you're always at the Loft..."

"Well, I am a busy man, but I can always make time for you..." smirked Warren.

Louise stared back at Warren, disgusted. "I know what you have been doing..."

Warren laughed. "Oh right. So, what have I done this time?"

"Drugs, Warren." replied Louise, icily. "You've been using the funds for Evissa to fund your little drug scheme..."

Warren's smirk disappeared off his face. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

Louise thrust several letters in Warren's face. "These! You're not very clever at hiding the paper evidence!!"

Warren looked at the pieces of paper blankly. "Been snooping, have we? I told you that I would stay out of your business as long as YOU stayed out of mine!" barked Warren.

"Not when the business is the Evissa funds!!" said Louise, angrily. "It says here that you owe the bank money!! I made you a partner on condition that no funny business went on!"

"No, you made me a partner because Sean buggered off..." laughed Warren, angrily. "And I wouldn't use that tone with me, Louise. We own the business half and half. We're equal. So I wouldn't go shouting at me, if I were you..."

"I run the place!" said Louise, raising her voice. "I have to make sure things are running in order! I'm fed up with receiving your crap and I don't want to be apart of your illegal scams and dealings!"

"What are you gonna do, Louise?" smirked Warren, angrily.

"I want you out!" shouted Louise. "I don't want you as a business partner anymore!"

Warren leaned forward on the desk, making Louise lean back, scared. "You can't do that..."

Louise swallowed hard and tried to maintain her composure. "I can. I hold the deeds to this place and I can easily go and see a lawyer tomorrow..."

Louise stood up off her chair and walked over to the door. Suddenly Warren got up off his chair and launched at Louise before she had a chance to reach the door. He pinned her against the wall and stared at her with his menacing eyes. Louise felt her heart beat faster across her chest and she couldn't breathe... She stared at him, in fear.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." hissed Warren. "You wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of me, now do you?"

Louise started to shake and she felt scared for her own safety... She shook her head and turned her head away from Warren's angry face...

"Next time you snoop in my stuff...It will be the last thing you ever do!!" barked Warren. "UNDERSTOOD?!"

Louise nodded, tears running down her face...

Warren let go of Louise and she slumped down to the floor, trying not to let him see her cry...

Warren kicked the door on the way out, leaving Louise on her own in the room...

She heard the salon door close and she began to sob...

He was now the person she feared the most...

_**The Loft Nightclub**_

_**7:20 pm**_

Max Cunningham was in the small, cold office of the Loft, organising paperwork into the filing cabinet. He took a bunch of papers and he made his way over to the wooden desk, ready to try and tackle the paperwork...

He sat down at his desk and he admired the picture of him and Claire on their wedding day. He was about to start to organise the papers when he suddenly felt something underneath his chair...

He moved his chair away to reveal a dark black bag...

Curious, Max unzipped the bag, thinking it must be Claire's...

Inside the bag, were random women's clothes...

A mobile phone...

An MP3 player...

A photo of Louise...

Max frowned at the bag, trying to figure out who's it might be...

A piece of paper fell out of the bag and Max picked it up...

It was a letter...

Addressed to Warren...

Little did Max know that the belongings in Warren's bag all belonged to Louise...

**END OF CHAPTER**

**A/N: Heya! I hope you like this chapter! Thank-you for all of your reviews!! They have really motivated me!**

**Please review this chapter!!**

**The story will draw to its ending soon and I hope to finish it very soon...**

**Anyways, please keep the reviews coming!!**

**Grace xxx**


	19. Changing Luck

Chapter 18

Changing Luck

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters, except OCs and Ideas

_**Friday 15th December**_

_**The Valentine/Roberts Household**_

_**5:45 pm**_

Marie was sat alone in the Valentine household after a stressful day at work and had the newspaper laid out on her lap and was happily munching away at some marshmallows. She flicked through the pages, skipping past the section on 'How to Look After Flowers In Winter'. She sighed to herself as she tried to find something vaguely interesting...

She flicked over to the next page and skim-read the adverts and spotted one advertising something about Christmas...

Marie sat there and started grinning to herself.

_'Hooray! Its nearly Christmas! Ahh...I love Christmas...A time of giving and most importantly, receiving of gifts. Nice gifts. Expensive gifts. Any gifts...Come to think of it, I'll have to go round to Mum and Dad's for the traditional 'Family Christmas Day Get-together'...Euggh...Mum burnt the turkey last year, I mean, who burns a £22 turkey?! I bet they get me another jumper...I have a whole flipping wardrobe full of jumpers! Why can't they get me something nice, like an iPod. Practical and very stylish...I'll have to go Christmas shopping...What to get them...Hmm...'_

She started scanning through the pages, wandering off into a daydream again...

_'I must pay off the credit card bill, although I've been very good this month...Well, except my downfall was those boots...damn...I must do that and call O.B as I was meant to call him...Hmm...I wonder what O.B is doing for Christmas...He hasn't mentioned any family at all...'_

Marie stopped reading...

_'...Oh...'_

_'What if he's alone?'... _

_'With no food??'... _

_'Perhaps Tony is doing something for them'..._

_'Damn it! I bet Erin has already harped on to Mum about him too!! Shit! That means Mum will ask me to take him 'round to meet her...And then Dad and Viv will want him round too! And he'll have to meet Nat and Nikki - the evil stepsisters!!!!.'_

_'ARRGH!' _

_'I can just imagine it now...Oh god...Awkward silence...What if they don't get along?! Or what if O.B invites me to something?! I mean we haven't been going out that long...Only three months...Does that count as serious?! Jesus, Mum will be getting out the wedding brochures!!!!! Viv will try and lap-dance, while Nat and Nikki will just try and chat him up! They'll scare him off!! And I bet Erin will take round what's-his-face...errm...Jerry, was it?...Ah! That's it! Jerard...The posh git...Great...With his 'touchy-feely hands'...I better not sit next to him...I best not take O.B to meet them just yet...' _

Marie shook her head and she flicked onto the next page. Property Pages. She sighed and she began to skim down the endless estate agents offering manky flats at ridiculous prices and in the wrong areas...

_'Great. They're either really crap at my type of rent or really nice at millionaire type of rent...'_

She turned the page and looked at the next lot of rentals. She sighed and looked down at the different pictures of the flats...

Then suddenly she saw one...

A flat...

For rent...

In Hollyoaks...

Marie's heart skipped a beat and she felt like jumping up and down. Finding a flat in Hollyoaks was like finding a needle in a haystack...

_'OH MY GOD!! A FLAT!! HERE IN HOLLYOAKS!!! OH MY GOD!! CHEAP RENT!! Blimey! 3 bedrooms?! But still, more room for me!! Hehe!! YES!!! I CAN FINALLY HAVE MY OWN BATHROOM! AND MY OWN FLOOR! AND KITCHEN! AND...ERR...WINDOWS!! YAY!! Where is it? Oh my god!! It's practically next door to this flat!! I can just transfer my stuff over to there!! YES! £800 a month...Not too much of an expense! This is PERFECT!' _

Marie clapped her hands in excitement and she took a closer look at the ad. It was a very nice flat from the picture and it was well, just a few doors down. Marie sat to herself, thinking about who had lived there...

_'Who lived there?? I never saw them...Well, I saw a teenage girl going up to one of the flats...Interesting...'_

She looked at the estate agent it was on with and she quickly whipped out her notepad and fluffy pink pen from her handbag and began to write it down...

_'Right. I will call them now and ask for a viewing!! I can't believe this!! I can have my nice ivory bedroom and burgundy kitchen!! Ha! I will be the envy of the village! YES!'_

The door opened and Calvin, Sonny and Sasha walked into the room, carrying bags of shopping. Marie grinned at them as they walked into the room. Sonny walked into the room and dumped the bags of shopping in the kitchen.

"You look happy..." smiled Calvin.

Marie nodded and she held up the paper. "I found a flat!"

Calvin stared at the paper and looked at the picture and details of the flat. He felt disappointment grow inside him and he tried not to let it show...

"Oh right..." he said, putting a smile on. "Oh! I didn't know the Owens had moved out..."

Sonny pricked up into the conversation. "The Owens have gone?!"

"Oh, the Owens? Russ's family?" asked Marie.

Calvin nodded. "Yeah. I don't think Russ has left. I think it's just his mum, dad and sister. I never spoke to them really...So, you're thinking of looking around it?"

"Yeah..." nodded Marie. "I know it's three bedrooms, but I can maybe let them out to people or something...but it would be so handy!! We would be neighbours!!!"

Calvin nodded, sadly. "Yeah, well that sounds great...Have you called up yet?"

"No, not yet. I was about to do that!" grinned Marie and she took out her mobile.

Sasha turned to Marie on the sofa. "You're leaving?? But I like our little TV sessions!!"

Marie smiled. "Don't worry! I will only be next door...If I can get the flat, of course..."

"Wait a minute...You're leaving?!" asked Sonny, confused. "Can Justin move in then?!"

Sasha hit Sonny on the arm. "No! I don't want your mates here!"

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled as she dialed in the number of the estate agent. She looked at the time on her watch. 6.15 pm.

_'Damn. They'll be shut. Ah well, I can speak to them tomorrow!'_

She got her pen and circled the picture of the flat in the newspaper, covering it with stars...

Calvin looked at the bags and sighed. He counted the bags again and looked at them, confused...

"Sasha? Did you bring all the bags in?" asked Calvin, looking at the white bags on the floor, full of food...

Sasha nodded. "Yeah. I brought in the four you asked me to get..."

Calvin folded his arms. "Sonny? How about you?"

"Yeah...I brought in two..." replied Sonny, munching on a cereal bar.

Calvin sighed heavily. "No, I asked you to bring in THREE..."

Sonny looked at the bags on the floor and counted the bags in his hand. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

Calvin exhaled heavily. "Now I'm going to have to go in and get the bag down from the shop..."

Marie looked up at Calvin and put the newspaper down. "I'll go and get it if you want!"

Calvin smiled and shook his head. "Nah. It's okay..."

Marie shook her head. "No, I insist. Which shop did you go to?"

"Price Slice." sighed Calvin.

Marie grabbed her car keys off the table. Erin wasn't a skilled driver seeing as Adam drove her to Hollyoaks, so Erin left Marie's car in Hollyoaks and now it was left out by the flats.

"You don't have to do this, you know.." sighed Calvin.

"I want to!" smiled Marie. "I need to show off my car a little, seeing as I haven't really had much time lately to do that..."

Calvin gave a small laugh. "Thank-you. You're a lifesaver. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

Marie grinned and started to head out of the door. "I will save your shopping!"

She opened the door and started to walk out into the cold. She grinned happily and started to make her way down the stairs.

_'I'm gonna get a flat! I'm finally moving up in life!!'_

She skipped down the steps leading down to the main street of Hollyoaks. She couldn't stop smiling to herself at the prospect of a new flat...

_'Finally, things are going my way!! Yay! I have to tell someone!...'_

Marie decided to make a visit to Il Gnosh and pushed the door open to see that hardly anyone was around except for a few people at three tables. Tony was waiting at the bar, looking very bored. Marie walked up to the bar and Tony spotted her and smiled: happy to see someone he actually knew...

Tony waved as Marie came closer to the bar. "Hark! I see Miss Roberts on the horizon..."

"Hi Tony! Guess what?" smiled Marie.

Tony folded his arms. "Umm...there's a sale on at Selfridges?"

Marie shook her head. "Nope! Guess again!"

"Err...Oh! You got a pay rise?!" guessed Tony.

"Nope!"

"Umm...ummm...You...bought me a Christmas present?..." smiled Tony.

"I found a flat!" grinned Marie.

Tony smiled and leaned on the counter. "Go you! That's great!"

Marie nodded. "Yeah! I'm so excited!! It's in the village too! Aww... Don't worry, I will get you a Christmas present...Oo! Speaking of chefs, my sister met Gordon Ramsey last week!"

"Hmm...Interesting...I bet I could beat him for cooking Spaghetti Bolognese..." boasted Tony

"Anyone can cook Spaghetti Bolognese..." laughed Marie.

"Not like me, they can't!" protested Tony.

O.B appeared from the kitchen and folded his arms playfully as Marie and Tony continued to talk.

He walked over to Marie and tapped her on the shoulder and smiled. "Hello to you too!"

Marie smiled back at him and turned to face him. "Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there!"

O.B shook his head and smiled. He looked over at Tony. "What are you and Tony gossiping about?"

"Gordon Ramsey and Spaghetti Bolognese..." said Tony, nodding.

"I have news!" announced Marie, smiling.

"Go on..." smiled O.B.

"I found a flat!!!" beamed Marie.

"Really? That's great!" said O.B, enthusiastically. "Where?"

"Here!" grinned Marie. "Two doors down from Calvin's flat...Apparently the Owens have moved out..."

"Oh _that_ one!...Yeah, I've... sort of already placed an offer in..." replied O.B, sheepishly.

The smile off Marie's face slipped off her face. "What?"

O.B nodded. "Yeah. I'd put a bid in if I were you...'cause Mel and Sophie and also Dom have put in offers..."

Suddenly the burgundy kitchen and ivory bedroom dream burst with a bang...

Dom walked in from the kitchen and stood around, waiting for the people

"You put in an offer?! When was this?!" said Marie, unhappily.

"Two days ago." replied O.B."I have been stuck without a flat for a lot longer than you have..."

"No! You can't have it!! I'll put in a bid! No-one can have my kitchen and floor!" protested Marie.

She turned to face Dom who smiled at her. "When did you put a bid in?"

"I...I...put an offer in yesterday..." replied Dom, nervously.

"And no-one bothers to tell me anything..." sighed Marie.

"Why don't you all move in together?? Then I can have the flat all to myself!" smiled Tony.

"What?! With them two?! No way!" laughed Marie. "No offense..."

O.B rolled his eyes and smiled. "Nice to know that I'm loved..."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't mind sharing a flat, but I have never had a place of my own!" sighed Marie.

O.B nodded. "Yeah, I see your point..."

Marie sighed and looked at her watch and sighed. "Well, I better go and pick up that shopping bag for Calvin..."

O.B gently wrapped his arms around Marie. "Is it still alright for me to come over to yours tonight seeing as Tony is...entertaining Jacqui...?" he said, quietly.

"Yeah, sure. Calvin is going out with his work friends while Sasha and Sonny are both staying over at friend's houses, so it's just me on my own..." said Marie, giving a small smile.

"Ah well. I don't think the flat will go soon..." said Tony, optimistically. "Besides, its nearly Christmas soon!"

Marie rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me..."

"I better get Tina a present soon..." said Dom, looking worried.

Marie smiled. "Anyway, I will see you later..."

O.B leaned in towards her and kissed her lightly on the mouth...

"Get a room!" laughed Tony.

O.B rolled his eyes and he smiled at Marie. She walked away from him and made her way out of the door...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**Student Flat**_

_**7:00 pm**_

All of the students were in the main living area of their flat. Kris was ironing his clothes, while Jess and Olivia were hanging up tinsel on the walls. Will was sat reading a book on the chair while Zoe and Joe were cuddled up together on the sofa, watching _'It's A Wonderful Life'..._

"Ah, Christmas..." said Kris, smiling to himself as he ironed his trousers. "Don't you just love it?"

Jess sighed. "Well, I like getting the presents, but I don't like the fact that everyone is being kicked out for Christmas..."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, but I suppose it's fair that we go back to our families as we haven't seen them in ages..."

Zoe smiled and snuggled up more to Joe and he smiled back at her. "So, what do you want for Christmas then?" he asked her, smiling at her.

"Ummm...Lots of cash?" grinned Zoe.

Joe smiled. "I want a decent CD player seeing as my other one has buggered up..."

"Ooo! I want some more clothes!" added Jess.

"A new mobile!" grinned Olivia.

"I tell you what I would like and what we need for this place...Our own mini bar!" beamed Kris. "It would be so cool!"

Joe sat up and nodded at Kris. "Yeah!! Then we won't have to pay the rip-off bar prices! I could be like Tom Cruise in Cocktail!"

Olivia leaned down and pulled up more tinsel out of the box of decorations that the students had bought. She passed the electric blue tinsel up to Jess, who was standing on a chair, blu-tacking it to the ceiling...

"What do you think?" asked Jess, as the students stared around at their flat. The walls were covered with tinsel and there were fairy lights around the kitchen units. There was a little fake Christmas Tree by the TV with stylish silver and blue baubles and a fairy on top of the tree.

Zoe smiled as she looked around. "It looks great!"

Will nodded. "I agree. Very...stylish and festive!"

Kris smiled and clapped his hands. "It's all Christmassy!"

Zoe turned back to the TV and watched as the movie was coming to an end. She smiled back at the TV as the cast started singing Christmas Carols...

Joe looked down at Zoe, who had tears in her eyes...

"Hey! What's wrong?" he asked, staring at Zoe.

Zoe smiled up at him. "I just love happy endings!"

Joe laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "You daft softie..."

Jess and Olivia stared down at the empty cardboard box and dusted their hands off as they stared at their handiwork around them.

"There!" smiled Jess. "Now we have are no longer the only student flat who haven't bothered to put up any festive decorating..."

"Pretty good job, if I say so myself..." smiled Olivia.

"So, when have we got to leave our festive flat?" sighed Kris.

"Next week. On Friday, I think..." added Will and he got back to reading his book.

Kris rolled his eyes. "Ooo...What's the matter, Scrooge? Don't you like Christmas?"

"No, but I just don't see the point in everyone getting excited over something as meaningless as Christmas..." sighed Will.

Zoe sat up and turned to face Will. "Christmas has tons of meaning!!"

"Cheer up, Willmister!" smiled Joe. "You might be able to bag a girl for New Years!"

"Ahh...I will be going to Ireland with my mum to visit my Aunty Pat..." smiled Kris. "What is everyone else doing?"

"I will going back to my mum and spend Christmas with her and my Gran..." smiled Olivia.

Jess dusted off her hands. "I will be going to my mum and dad's where we will have all of my family over for a big fuzzy family Christmas..."

"How about you, Scrooge?" asked Kris, turning to face Will.

Will put down his book. "I will be going to my parent's for Christmas and I will see my little brother..."

Joe stood up off the sofa and turned to face everyone. "Well, I will be having a very jolly Christmas with my family as we all get pissed and eat loads of Mince Pies and watch crap on TV!"

Zoe laughed. "That sounds like my kinda Christmas! I will be spending Christmas with my family and we'll all go down to the Pub on Boxing Day and do a countryside walk..."

"Well, it all sounds like we will have good times with our families..." smiled Kris. "Are we all coming back for New Year's?"

"I'm not as I am going to a party which my parents are hosting..." beamed Jess.

"Well, I'm coming back!" smiled Joe.

"So am I!" grinned Zoe.

Olivia nodded. "Me too!"

"And I!" replied Kris. "Will?"

"Yeah, I think so..." said Will, getting back to his book.

Kris rolled his eyes. "Good to know Will is in the festive spirit..."

Zoe smiled and she turned to Joe. "I think the new year is gonna be a good one! I just know it's gonna be good!"

Joe nodded. "And it is my last year here!!! Then I can set up Joseph Spencer Inc!"

"Oh no!" sighed Zoe. "Then you won't be here anymore!!!"

Joe laughed. "Don't be daft! I won't really move away from the area!"

"Two-thousand and seven...Bring it on!" smiled Kris as he stared up at the glowing fairy lights, flashing brightly...

_**Monday 18th December**_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**11:45 am**_

Marie and Sophie were sitting together in the Salon, waiting for at least one customer to walk through the door. The salon had now been decorated with black and silver decorations and little fairy lights twinkled in the window, making the Salon seem more festive...

Sophie slouched down further on the black leather sofa and smiled to herself. Her and Russ had finally made up that weekend...

Marie was flicking through a magazine, trying to get inspiration for her Christmas shopping...

"I love Christmas..." smiled Sophie to herself as she twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger. "Hopefully Mum will be coming down to see me and Mel...How about you? Are staying here for Christmas?"

Marie put down her magazine and slouched down the sofa to get more comfy. "Well, My mum and Dad are divorced, so I have to go to my Mum's house on Christmas Day and go to my Dad's on Boxing Day...but it's gonna be a nightmare as my Mum lives with her new partner called Brian - and he's a gardening freak. Erin will also be at my Mum's with her fiancé, Jerard and he's also a weirdo. And then my Dad has invited me to his, where I have to suffer my evil stepmother, Viv and her two daughters, Nat and Nikki..."

Sophie nodded. "Ah. You're like me. I have a nightmare step-sister called Darlene but I don't see her anymore..."

Marie sighed. "Eugh. Nikki is an actress who can't act and had several boob jobs, while Nat is a complete stuck-up cow..."

"Ah well. At least you will be spending Christmas with your family. That's the main thing..." smiled Sophie.

Marie sighed. "And on top of that, it's my birthday two days after Christmas, so yeah..."

"Really?? Wow! You're a sort-of Christmas birthday!" smiled Sophie. "You'll be twenty-two!!"

"Yeah..." smiled Marie, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Go me..."

The door of the Salon opened and Mel walked in the door along with Anthony behind her, dressed in a smart suit. Sophie and Marie stared at Mel as she walked through the door and took of her scarf. Anthony stood by the door, in a large camel-coloured coat, smiling at Mel...

"Hi ladies!" Anthony said, smiling at Marie and Sophie.

Marie and Sophie both looked up at Anthony and waved slowly, looking at him...

Mel smiled at Anthony and walked up to him and she gestured to the door...

"Well, it looks very nice this place..." smiled Anthony. "See you around, ladies..."

Marie and Sophie watched as Mel and Anthony said goodbye to each other outside. Anthony brought Mel closer to him and they kissed each other...

"God, he's so sweet..." smiled Sophie. "I knew Mel would find someone!"

"How long have they been dating now?" asked Marie.

"About two or three weeks now..." replied Sophie. "Mel is definitely a happier person when she's been around him and she's stayed off the alcohol too..."

Sophie and Marie smiled at each other and quickly sat back down as Mel walked back into the Salon, with a big smile on her face...

Mel sat down at the sofa next to Marie and sighed happily to herself...

"How was your weekend with Anthony?" asked Marie, smiling.

Mel nodded and smiled to herself. "Yeah...it was very...nice..."

Sophie began to laugh. "You slept with him, didn't you?"

Marie began to laugh too as Mel went red and she hid her face in her hands, smiling...

"How did you know?? Is it that blatantly obvious??" smiled Mel.

"Twin Intuition." grinned Sophie.

The girls began to giggle and the office door opened and Louise walked out to the girls. Marie, Mel and Sophie stared at Louise. Louise wasn't wearing any make-up at all and looked as though she had been crying. Her hair was scraped into a pony and she was wearing just a plain black jumper with black trousers on. She sighed and walked over to the store cupboard...

"You okay, Louise?" asked Sophie. "You look like you have been through hell..."

"I have." sighed Louise. "I'm trying to...sort some business out..."

Sophie nodded as Louise made her way over to the desk and picked up some files.

"Has Warren been reeking havoc with the files again?" laughed Sophie to herself.

Louise stopped in her tracks. She shuddered at the sound of Warren's name. She had spent all night trying to think of a way to get Warren out of the business...

"Umm...Yeah...You could say..." sighed Louise. "Has anyone come in through the door yet?"

Marie looked down at the appointment book. "Well, Mrs. Luck should be coming in for her manicure and I think also a Sharon Mason is coming in for a tan, but I think that's it..."

Louise nodded and she made her way back to the office...

"Jeez, Louise looks awful!" whispered Sophie. "She's been like this for days!"

Mel nodded. "I think she's fed up with Warren...I would if I was in her shoes..."

Marie looked down at her phone.

_'Ah-ha! You can ring the estate agents now!'_

Marie got up and picked her phone up off the table. "I'm just gonna make a phone call..."

Sophie and Mel nodded as Marie walked out of the salon into the cold...

Marie shivered and she took out a her note which she had scribbled down the name of the estate agents...

She dialed the number into the phone and held the phone to her ear, trying to make herself warm...

A woman's voice. came onto the other end of the line. "Hello, Whitley and Moore Estate Agents."

"Hi! I'm enquiring about the flat for rent. It's 3 Oakdale Drive, Hollyoaks." asked Marie, staring at the brick wall in front of her.

"Okay, are you interested in buying the flat or renting it?" asked the woman.

"Renting" replied Marie.

There was a slight pause and the woman's voice returned. "Okay, well we have had a lot of interest in the flat, so I'm afraid all potential occupants for the flat will have to talk to the landlord, but I think he is already in negotiations with someone for to buy the flat..."

Marie sighed. "Oh right. So there is no chance for me at all?"

"We will know in the next week or so." replied the woman. "But I'm afraid buyers come first, so..."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Okay. Thanks very much. Bye."

Marie shoved her phone in her bag and walked back into the salon...

_'So much for my dream flat...'_

_**The McQueen Household**_

_**7:00 pm**_

Russ Owen walked up to the door of the McQueen's house and he nervously stood outside, looking around to see if people were looking at him...

He knocked on the door and stood waiting...

Waiting...

The door opened and Mercedes McQueen walked out and smiled at Russ. He smiled back at her and walked up to her.

They both leaned in and kissed each other...

Mercedes gave Russ a wicked grin and he took her hand and she led him into her home...

She was what he wanted...

...But why couldn't he stop loving Sophie?

_**The Loft Nightclub**_

_**7:15 pm**_

Claire Cunningham sat in the Loft's Office, sorting through some paperwork of the Loft's profits. She stared at the wedding photo of her and Max which sat in a silver frame on the desk. She rolled her eyes at the photo and she turned the photo to make it face away from her...

There was a knock at the door and Claire rolled her eyes...

"Yes..." sighed Claire. "Come in..."

The door opened and Warren walked in and he smirked at Claire. Claire's face lit up, relieved it wasn't Max...

"Came to see if you were busy..." smirked Warren.

Claire gave an evil grin. "No...This crap can wait..."

She stood up from the chair and she smiled at Warren. Warren closed the door behind him and looked around.

"Where's old Max then?" said Warren, looking around.

"Doing some stuff with Tom." replied Claire, bluntly. She smiled at Warren and walked up to him. "Have you got the stuff?"

Warren digged into his pocket and pulled up a packet of what Claire had been wanting: Cocaine.

Claire smirked eagerly at the cocaine and she opened up one of the desk draws for her mirror and paper. She sat down on one of the chairs and snatched the coke off Warren...

Warren sat down on one of the other chairs and he began to pour some of the white powder onto the mirror...

"So, how's business at Evissa?" asked Claire, as she began to tear some paper up...

Warren gave a small laugh. "Ah, well, Louise has been on my case...but I sorted her out..."

Claire began to make lines with the powder. "Warren Fox. Good Old Business Man..."

Warren smirked. "You could say that..."

Claire rolled up some paper and she handed a strip of paper to Warren. "Are you still thinking about buying the whole place off Louise still?"

Warren laughed. "I don't know. Could make my presence more heard...but I'll just leave Louise with the salon, cause you gotta have eye candy to make a business work...Just like you in this place..."

Claire smirked. "Excuse me. I do a lot more than stand around being a pretty face..."

Warren laughed again. "Yeah. We all know how you like to mix business with pleasure..."

Claire laughed. "So, what are you here for? Business or Pleasure?"

"Oh, I'm a man of many wants..." replied Warren.

Claire got her piece of paper and leaned down and snorted the cocaine up. She wiped her nose and smiled at Warren. Warren did the same with his share of the cocaine. Claire got up from her chair and she walked towards the door. She put the lock on the door and turned around to face Warren...

She started to walk up to him and she stood above him as he sat in the chair. She leaned down towards him and got up closer to him.

"I think we're alone now..." smirked Claire and she leaned in and kissed Warren hard on the lips...

But there was only one woman who was on Warren's mind...

Just not Claire...

**END OF CHAPTER**

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Euugh...I hate Claire and Warren...**

**Sorry, its a very random chapter, but the story will be ending soon. There are two more chapters, then my four-part special and then two last chapters! Watch this space as I will be writing them very quickly...**

**Please review!! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed - I'm glad you like the story!**

**Grace xx**


	20. Just A Perfect Day

Chapter 19

Just A Perfect Day...

Rating - T

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its Characters except OCs and Ideas

_**8 days later...**_

_**Wednesday 26th December**_

It was Boxing Day for the residents of Hollyoaks and Marie stepped out of her car and looked around the village. It looked practically like a ghost-town and she stared at the area around her, trying to see if anyone was around...

Returning from Oxford, Marie felt that it was colder and she stared around at the place which she now called 'Home'...

Marie sighed and smiled to herself and closed the door of her car and flicked her hair, which was now curly, out of her black coat and she got her keys and locked her car...

She sighed to herself and she started to walk up to the Valentine's flat...

_'Well that was a good Christmas...not...Ah well, at least I can sing Happy Birthday to me today instead of Jesus...22...Woo...Getting older...God, I'll be turning into Erin soon...the cynical cow...I can't believe she's pregnant! Oh god...I'll be Aunty Marie...Oh no...I'll be one of those weird woman with tons of cats and smell of barley water...Euggh...'_

She looked around at the closed shops and restaurants as she walked past... It looked weird to see them all closed as it was only days ago when people were busy bustling, trying to get their Christmas shopping finished...

Marie started to make her way up the steps and she got her keys up from her new black leather handbag from her Mum. She opened the door to the Valentine's flat and she stood and gasped at what she saw...

...The flat's usual pristine condition was now a shamble of Christmas wrapping paper and left-over Christmas dinner...

Marie stood with her mouth open and she looked around. Wrapping paper trailed the floor while their were an endless amount of empty cardboard boxes strewn around the place. Party-popper strings hung from the curtains and there were lots of empty beer cans cluttered around the sofa...

On the sofa, was Leo Valentine, asleep in a drunken coma. He was snoring in the background as the daylight shone through the curtains on his face...

Marie closed the door and sighed to herself. It seemed like they had a fun Christmas...

Sasha Valentine sleepily made her way down the stairs in her dressing gown and she flashed a small smile at Marie...

"Hey Marie, Merry Christmas..." yawned Sasha.

"Merry Christmas!" smiled Marie. "It looks like you had a good time..."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Well, except for the fact that Calvin, Dad and Sonny got drunk on beer and decided to trash the place..."

Marie laughed. "Calvin? Getting drunk? He doesn't do that very often..."

"Yeah." sighed Sasha. "The mood was weird yesterday. To be honest, it wasn't very exciting as it didn't feel the same without mum..."

Marie nodded and sighed. "I could help you tidy this place up, if you like?..."

Sasha sighed and smiled. "Thanks. I need all the help I can get with this place..."

Marie carefully tip-toed over to the kitchen, thinking about Diane. Sasha turned around and smiled at Marie...

"It's your birthday today, isn't it?" smiled Sasha.

Marie gave a small cynical laugh and smiled. "Yes. I am twenty-two. And it feels scary..."

Sasha nodded. "Calvin was going on about your birthday yesterday...I thought you were staying with your family for your birthday??"

Marie started to clear away the dirty plates into the dishwasher. "My family are fine in small doses. But to be honest, I wanted to get back for some strange reason..."

Sasha sighed. "I miss back home. I wish I was there instead of her...I wish for a lot of things really..."

"I know the feeling...but sadly, we can't turn back time..." sighed Marie. "But I think Diane would be proud of you if she was here..."

Sasha gave a small smile. "I hope so..."

Marie started to pick up the clutter on the floor and shoved the rubbish in the bin. She heard her mobile phone go off and she opened up her handbag and picked up her phone. 7 new messages. She had neglected to pick up her messages yesterday...

_'Ooh! I wonder who has been texting me...'_

She opened up the first message...

**From: Calvin**

**25/12/06 11:52 pm **_'Old friend! 22 tomorrow! I feel old... You will probably get this message after I see you! Hope your family are well... Come back 'cause my Dad is getting on my nerves! Calvin x'_

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. She opened up the next one...

**From: O.B**

**26/12/06 10:00 am**

_'Hello Birthday Girl! How was Christmas Day for you?? I bet it wasn't as fun as mine! We had to sit around watching the Queen's Speech as Tony forced us to watch it...and then he got in a panic cause he thought he had under-cooked the turkey (I say turkey, but it looked like a small chicken) - honestly, I swear he's turning into a girl...and then he got drunk and was texting Jacqui all night and made us play Charades and went nuts at Dom for not guessing the right answer - poor bloke...So, yeah, it's been interesting...Happy Birthday for today! Hope your visit to your Dad's goes well...Miss you xxxx'_

Marie smiled. _'Aww...Bless him! He remembered my birthday Ooh! Another message...!'_

**From: Tony**

**26/12/06 10:15 am **_'Merry Christmas, Miss Roberts! I heard from a little birdie that today is your birthday! Happy Birthday, Roberts! You kept that quiet! 22, I believe...What a good age...You will have to come over so we can all celebrate and bask in your glory... Tony x'_

**From: Sophie**

**26/12/06 10:25 am **_'Happy Birthday Marie! I actually remembered your birthday! What's it like being 22?? Are you back yet? How was your Christmas?? Mel says Hi - she has no credit, yet again, so she apologises for the lack of text message...Me and Mel will see you soon! Love Sophie xxxxx'_

Marie smiled again and she opened up the next message...

**From: Louise**

**26/12/06 10:27 am **_'Hi Marie! Sophie has just informed me that it is your birthday today, so I thought it best to send you a text! Happy Birthday! See you soon. Louise xxx'_

'_Even Louise remembered my birthday...How sweet...'_

**From: 02 Mobile **

_'FREE TEXT MESSAGES WITH O2 MOBILE!'_

'_Okay, junk...Delete...'_

**From: Mum**

**26/12/06 9:00 am**

_Honestly, Marie! You're like a vampire disappearing off away back to your crypt! I made salmon brunch as well too! Ah, well, I can feed it to Erin seeing as she's carrying for two now...Did you get home alright? Is Calvin well? Say hello to him and his family for me! I forgot to ask, was it good at your Dad's?? What did they buy you?? Did Viv or whatever your father calls her cook a better turkey than me??? Call me as soon as you get back! Love you lots. Mum xxx P.S. Thank-you so much for the perfume! I'm wearing it now! Brian says you have good taste..._

**From: O.B**

**27/12/06 10:00 am**

_'Hello 22-year old. Are you back yet?? Hope the journey was okay...I'm guessing you have survived your visit to your Dad's...At least it was better than last night over here. It was basically depressing and Tony basically forced us to get drunk because the mood was just so dead and I now have a hangover from hell...Happy Birthday, again for yesterday!...Did you get my text?.. How does it feel to be older? I can't remember when I was 22...it's all very vague...or it could just be my hangover... But of course, I will see you later and btw, you left some stuff over here, so I don't know whether you want to collect or not (I'm guessing you do)...but I am in all day, so no need to worry there...See you later, love you xxxxx' _

Marie closed her phone, smiling to herself and making mental reminders to go and visit people...

She watched as she saw Calvin come down the stairs, rubbing his head in agony... He was in his new navy dressing gown and he groaned as his head pounded...He noticed Marie and he put a smile on his face...

"Hello!" smiled Marie. "I got your text...Wow! Seems like you had a very merry Christmas..."

Calvin rolled his eyes. "I can't remember a bloody thing...Nice to see you! How was it?"

Marie laughed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oh it was okay...Just found out that Erin is expecting a baby, so I will be Aunty Marie soon..."

Calvin stared back at Marie. "Erin's pregnant?!"

Marie nodded. "Yeah. Her and Jerard's baby. She's only a few months, not even three I don't think...But yeah, so it was Mum being all stressy and turning into Grandma mode...How was it with your Dad?"

Calvin sighed and Sasha glared at him. "It was...okay...Oh god, my head hurts..."

Marie laughed again. "Too much beer..."

"By the way, thanks for the presents!" smiled Calvin.

Marie stuffed the paper in the bin and smiled at Calvin. "That's okay! I'm glad you like them!"

"How was your birthday?" asked Calvin, smiling. "I have your present to give you actually..."

Marie smiled. "It was okay. Just the usual birthday. Got some money off Dad and some nice pressies off Mum..."

"Oh! Have you heard anything about the flat that you liked?" asked Calvin, pouring some water out into a glass for himself.

Marie sighed. "Nope. But it's okay, I can just find another one..."

"When do you go back to work?" asked Calvin, popping some bread into a toaster, sleepily.

"I think it's next Monday..." pondered Marie. "How about you?"

"I have to go patrolling on New Year's Eve..." announced Calvin.

Marie frowned. "What?! That's terrible! Surely not! New Year's Eve is like party-time - stress free and a time to celebrate the new year in!"

Calvin laughed. "Yeah, but someone's gotta keep the streets safe. Anyway, it's only for a few hours...So, have you got anything interesting planned for today??"

Marie yawned to herself. "Errm...well, I need a sleep and then I will probably go and visit people - deliver Christmas presents and all..."

Calvin looked around the room. "My god, what a tip...I'll be in here all day!"

Marie laughed and yawned. "I think I will go and sleep now..."

Calvin nodded. "Good Idea. I might go back to bed myself..."

Sasha folded her arms. "Hey! You're not leaving me with all this mess to clean up!"

Calvin sighed and looked over at Leo, who was still asleep on the sofa...

"Get Dad up...he can do something for once..." sighed Calvin. "And anyway, Sonny will be up soon..."

"Sonny doesn't resurface until about 3 pm!..." protested Sasha.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah...Lazy bugger..."

Marie smiled and she made her way up the stairs...

_**The Cunningham Household**_

**_11:00 pm_**

Claire Cunningham sat in the living room, flicking through a magazine. She looked around her and rolled her eyes and scowled at Tom's new toys around the room. That's what Claire hated about Christmas. Hyperactive children and leaving their stuff everywhere... She flicked her hair back from her face and continued to read her magazine...

She heard her phone go off and she opened it up. It was a text from Warren...

_'Hello Sexy. Got the stuff. Usual place. See you later? W xx'_

Claire smirked at the text and she put her phone down next to her as she continued to read her magazine...

Suddenly, Claire noticed someone was in front of her. She put down her magazine and saw little Tom Cunningham, staring at her, in his Action Man pyjamas...

She rolled her eyes and blanked Tom. She continued to read her magazine...

After a few seconds, Claire put down her magazine and she stared into Tom's little brown eyes.

"Don't you have anything better to do?..." replied Claire, with a vacant look on her face. "Why don't you go and play with all that new stuff you have?"

"I wanted to see you..." replied Tom in a small voice.

Claire scowled and sighed. "Can't you see that I'm busy and that I want some alone time?! Why don't you go and pester Max?..."

"Max is asleep. I wanted you to help me with my Scaletrix!" smiled Tom.

Claire stared back at Tom, coldly. "I don't do toys..."

Tom looked at Claire's phone sitting on the sofa. He noticed it flash and he picked it up and stared at it, intrigued...

"Wow! It's 'Max Mission's phone!" said Tom, staring down at Warren's text message...

Claire put her magazine down and she quickly looked as Tom started to read the message...

"What does this mean?" asked Tom, pointing to Warren's message.

Claire quickly tried to snatch the phone off Tom, but Tom stared at Claire. Claire forced a fake smile on her face and stared at her phone in Tom's hands...

"Tom..." said Claire, forcefully. "Can I have my phone back, please?"

Tom shook his head. "I want to have a look at it...I wanna show Max that its Max Mission's phone..."

Claire quickly got up the sofa and stopped Tom in his tracks. She kneeled down to his level and stared at him, bitterly...

"Now, Tom...I wouldn't do that if I were you..." spat Claire.

"Why not?" asked Tom, sweetly.

"'Cause it is MY phone, not Max Mission's phone and Max doesn't want you to go and intrude him and wake him up!" replied Claire. "And if you do that, then all of your new toys will be going in the bin!! Understand?"

Tom nodded his head, frightened of Claire's angry face...

Claire gave Tom an evil grin. "Good boy...Now run along and play with your Scaletrix..."

Tom stared at Claire and made his way up the stairs quickly...

Claire exhaled heavily and sat back down the sofa...

Another close shave...

_**The Summers/Burton Household**_

_**1:30 pm**_

Louise Summers sat in her flat alone, patiently waiting for someone to arrive at her door...

She sipped on her drink nervously and her eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. Sophie had gone to visit Russ while Mel had gone to see Justin...

She stared down at her phone and she tapped her fingers on the rim of her glass...

She had never been so nervous in her life...

Beside her sat a pile of forms...

She stared at the forms as if they were going to explode...

_'There's no need to be nervous. It's only him. I mean, you've dealt with him before, so it's no big deal...Just be cool and get him to sign the forms...'_

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Louise jumped at the noise and sighed. She slowly padded her way across the living room and out into the hallway...

She undid the latch off the door and opened the door...

There stood in front of her, was Warren. Warren stared back at her and gave a menacing look. Louise swallowed hard and she gave an uneasy smile...

"I'm not in the mood for chit-chat today. What do you want me over for, Louise as I am very busy?..." replied Warren, impatiently.

"I...wanted you to sign...some forms..." said Louise, shakily.

Warren sighed. "What forms?"

"Just some forms for Evissa..." said Louise, nervously. "Bank stuff. For the owners of Evissa...and...seeing as you are a joint partner...I need you to sign..."

Warren exhaled heavily and ran his hand through his hair. He barged past Louise and he looked down at his watch.

"You better hurry up as I have a meeting with an old business partner..." said Warren, bitterly.

Louise nodded and she showed Warren into the living area. Warren looked around at Louise's flat and sat down on the leather sofa. Louise quickly grabbed the forms and she looked through them to herself and felt her insides knot up...

Warren stared at Louise, who had her back to him...

"Today would be good, Louise!" barked Warren.

Louise nodded and she turned to face him, trying not to look at him directly. "Yeah, here they are..."

Louise walked over to Warren and she handed the forms over to Warren and pointed to the three sheets were she had circled where he had to sign...

Warren snatched the forms off Louise and he stared at them blankly. Louise nervously flicked over the pages for Warren and pointed at the areas he needed to sign...

"Just...sign...here..." said Louise, swallowing hard.

"A pen would be good..." sighed Warren.

Louise handed him over a pen and he stared at her again. He took the biro off her and clicked it and began to scrawl his signature down on the circled area. He looked back up at Louise, who was staring at the forms, nervously and she began to twiddle her hair around her finger...

"What the hell's the matter with you, Louise?" scowled Warren.

Louise quickly stared up at Warren and shook her head quickly. "Nothing."

She flicked over the next page and pointed to the next part for Warren to sign. Warren scrawled his signature on the dotted line and Louise flicked to the last page and Warren signed it, impatiently.

Louise quickly took the forms off Warren before he had a chance to read it and cradled them in her hands. Warren tossed the pen onto the floor and stared at Louise again. It was the same look he had given her a few weeks back...

"Is that it?" asked Warren, with a vacant look on his face.

Louise nodded and felt her throat become dry. "...Y-yes..."

"God, what a waste of time..." sighed Warren.

He rolled his eyes and got up off the sofa. Louise also stood up and she walked over to the door and waited for him to get to the door. He stared at her and he touched her cheek, which made Louise flinch back...

"Hope to do more business with you. Be seeing you soon..." Warren smirked and he left Louise's flat...

Louise quickly shut the door and locked it. She sighed with relief and she stared at the forms which she had been clenching onto...

For what Warren didn't know was...

...He had just signed himself out of co-owning Evissa...

Louise exhaled heavily and she stared down at the forms in joy...

He could no longer hurt her...

...Or so she thought...

_**The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brien Household**_

_**5:30 pm**_

"Dom! Where did you put the leftover turkey??" called Tony, from the kitchen.

Dom and O.B were sat on the sofa, transfixed at the TV screen as they watched a football match. Tony was pottering around the kitchen, trying to clear up the mess from the past two days. He picked up the empty beer bottles and put them into the bin, clattering them as he walked over and emptied the bin...

Tony sighed and looked around the kitchen units..."Dom??"

He stared over at Dom and O.B who were both still watching the match...

"Dom!" called Tony again, trying to see if he could get his attention...

Tony rolled his eyes and walked over to the living area and walked over to the coffee table. He grabbed the remote control and switched off the TV. Dom and O.B instantly stared up at Tony and began to moan...

"Hey! I was watching that!" protested Dom.

"Why did you do that for?! It was an important match!" asked O.B, as he stared up at Tony, who was donning his new apron saying 'World's Greatest Chef' which he had received from his mum...

Tony rolled his eyes. "You weren't listening to me, Dom! I was calling like an old fish-wife for about half an hour!!"

Dom sighed. "Yes, Tony?...You have my undivided attention..."

"Have you seen the left-over turkey?" sighed Tony, putting his hands on his hips...

Dom and O.B both looked up at Tony as if he was mad...

"No. Why would I want a left-over turkey?!" asked Dom, confused.

Tony sighed and exhaled heavily. "I want it to make a turkey curry!"

"Oh dear god, here we go with the turkey curry..." said Dom, rolling his eyes.

"It's a chicken!" laughed O.B.

Tony folded his arms and looked back at O.B, with an angry look on his face. "If you say it's a chicken one more time, then I will personally remove the Sky box!!"

"Sorry..." murmured O.B.

Tony put the remote control back down on the coffee table. Dom grabbed the remote control and switched the TV back on...

"If you two could help for once instead of sitting around..." scowled Tony as he made his way back to the kitchen..."

Dom looked over at Tony. "We do help!"

"I have to do everything around here!" moaned Tony. "I have to cook -

O.B sighed. "Because you said if we ever attempted to cook with the cooker or try to cook full-stop then we would be kicked out...And you also said you are the only trained professional chef, so no-one else can cook better meals than you..."

"I have to clean!" moaned Tony.

Dom rolled his eyes. "We keep our rooms in order!!"

Tony stopped and thought about "Okay well...I...I have to entertain your girlfriends!!"

Dom and O.B looked around at Tony.

Dom laughed. "No you don't! All you do is intrude and basically start talking to them about cooking and food!!"

"Oh and how you are better than Gordon Ramsey..." added O.B.

"Well, _We_ have to put up with you and Jacqui's weird little love games!!" said Dom, shuddering.

Tony looked back at Dom, slightly embarrassed...

"Okay, we'll just leave it there..." murmured Tony and he disappeared back into the kitchen...

"Jeez, what's up with him?!" asked O.B, turning to Dom.

"I think him and Jacqui had an argument..." whispered Dom. "Not sure what about..."

O.B nodded. "Ah...I see...That's what's with the funny moods..."

There was a knock at the door and O.B and Dom both looked out at the door...

"Who could that be?" asked Dom.

"If it's Jacqui, I'm not in!!" called Tony from the kitchen.

Dom rolled his eyes. "What on earth has happened between you two???"

"Nothing!!" called Tony from the kitchen...

"I'll get the door then..." said O.B as he got up off the sofa and made his way towards the door...

_**Outside The Hutchinson/Reilly/O'Brien Household**_

_**5:45 pm**_

Marie stood outside of the door to the flat, patiently waiting for someone to answer the door. She was wearing her new black top and skirt which her sister had bought her for Christmas and she had a black headband in her hair...

_'Right. Now he did say 6:00 didn't he? Ah well, I'm early anyway...I wonder what he's got planned?...He sounded like he had something planned...Hope he hasn't gone to too much trouble...'_

She gave another little knock on the door again and the door opened and O.B appeared in front of her. He smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

"Hello 22 year old!" smiled O.B. "How was your first day of being 22 been?"

Marie gave a small laugh. "Weird. I feel knackered and I've been doing Santa rounds all day, giving people presents..."

She walked up to him and he brought her closer to him and kissed her.

"I did get your texts, thanks..." smiled Marie. "It was really sweet of you to remember my birthday..."

O.B rolled his eyes. "How could I not forget your birthday?"

Marie smiled to herself and he looked down at her outfit...

"Let me guess... New outfit?" asked O.B, hoping that he'd guessed correctly...

Marie nodded. "Yes. Erin bought it for me, but she was secretly eyeing it up for herself, but she can't now seeing as she's having a baby..."

"Your sister's pregnant??" repeated O.B. "That means you'll be an Aunty!"

Marie laughed. "Yes. Which is another thing about getting older which is scary..."

"Anyway, we best go in before we freeze to death..." said O.B and he held open the door for Marie to walk in...

Marie walked into the flat and saw Dom on the sofa, watching football, while Tony was in the kitchen, pottering about with pans. Dom smiled at Marie and waved at her. O.B closed the door and walked back into the

"Hi Marie! How was your Christmas??" asked Dom, keeping his eyes half-on the TV and half-on Marie...

Marie smiled and nodded. "It was good thanks. How was your Christmas??"

Dom nodded. "It was okay. Except for Miss Menopause over there..."

"Hey! I hope you are not talking about me!!" called Tony and he glared at his brother. He appeared out from the kitchen, holding pots in one hand. He noticed Marie and he smiled at her.

"Happy Birthday, Roberts!" smiled Tony.

Marie grinned back. "Thanks. I did get your text by the way. It was very nice of you to remember my birthday...I secretly hoped that you'd all forget my birthday..."

O.B rolled his eyes. "Now, why would we do a thing like that?"

"Because I am getting older! It's too scary!" said Marie, laughing.

O.B folded his arms. "I wish I was 22 again, so count yourself lucky that you're not 24...or 25 in Tony's case..."

"Hey! I'm young for 25!" protested Tony.

Dom rolled his eyes. "Sure you are, Tony..."

Marie looked at O.B as he mouthed something at Dom and he glared at him. Dom looked back at O.B and mouthed a small 'O' back at O.B and Dom turned to face Tony...

"So..." said Dom, trying to act cool. ".Tony...we have that...thing to go to now, so we better...go to it..."

Tony stared back at Dom, with a look of confusion on his face. "What thing?"

Dom glared at Tony. "_That _thing that we have to go to right now..."

"I don't know what you're on about, mate..." laughed Tony.

Dom rolled his eyes and dragged Tony along and headed to the door...

Dom turned to face Marie who was staring at them, confused. "We're sorry we can't stay, but we have to go now...and...meet some old family friends for...tea...Can't let them down..."

Tony looked up at Dom. "WHAT family friends?"

"_Shut.up." _hissed Dom.

Marie nodded and smiled at them, feeling confused. "Oh, okay! Have a good time!"

Dom dragged Tony towards the door...

"I want to stay and watch _Only Fools And Horses_!" protested Tony quietly.

"Just get out the door, Tony!" whispered Dom and they both left the flat...

Marie watched them go out of the door and turned to face O.B. "Did you notice anything strange about how they were acting??..."

O.B shook his head. "Nope...Nothing out of the ordinary, really..."

Marie nodded. "I see..."

O.B looked around. "Oh no..."

"What?" asked Marie. "Is something wrong?"

O.B sighed. "I've left your present in Il Gnosh..."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" smiled Marie. "You can give it to me another time..."

O.B shook his head. "You may as well have it now, 'cause otherwise I will forget...and plus, I don't want it getting nicked...You don't mind going to Il Gnosh with me to get it, do you??"

Marie shook her head and smiled. "No, that's fine..."

"I'll just go and get the keys..." said O.B and he disappeared off into the kitchen...

Marie stood and smoothed the creases out of her jacket. _'Something's going on...'_

O.B reappeared from the kitchen with a set of keys in his hand. He smiled at Marie and grabbed his jacket from the chair.

"I am so sorry about all of this..." he said, as he put on his jacket.

Marie laughed. "Don't be silly! It's fine! At least you've bothered with my birthday. My step-sister didn't bother with my birthday for ages until recently...Oh god, it was so weird what they got me for my birthday..."

"What did they get you?" asked O.B, intrigued.

"Pole-dancing lessons!" laughed Marie.

O.B stopped and stared. "Really?"

Marie laughed again. "I know! Can you believe them?? I'm not going to take them..."

"Oh...its...very...terrible...yeah, you shouldn't take them..." said O.B, trying to act serious.

"Ha. No, I am not taking them..." smiled Marie.

They both walked out of the door and O.B locked it up. They both walked down the stairs and Marie started shivering in the cold...

O.B turned to face Marie. "Now, the thing is, you're gonna have to close your eyes..."

"Close my eyes?!" laughed Marie.

O.B nodded. "Yeah, it's just that I don't want you to see your present as I forgot to wrap it..."

Marie laughed. "Okay...What now??"

O.B smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Marie began to giggle and she shut her eyes. "Okay, they're closed...but you're gonna have to guide me to it as I can't see a thing!"

O.B smiled and he took Marie's hand and he led her through the street. Marie kept her eyes firmly shut and she continued to walk and let him guide her through the street...

They continued walking until they reached a set of steps...

O.B looked at Marie, who still had her eyes shut..."Okay, they're are some steps now..."

"Steps?!" said Marie, surprised. _'When did Il Gnosh have steps?!'_

Before she could say anything, she was being led up the set of steps...

"You really didn't have to bother with my birthday!" said Marie as she walked carefully up the steps...

O.B rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, I wouldn't forget your birthday..."

"Okay, we're here, but don't open your eyes..." called O.B and he got some keys out of his pocket...

Marie continued to keep her eyes closed, trying to fight the urge to open her eyes...

O.B got the keys and unlocked a door...

He led her into the room and he closed the door behind him. He switched on a light switch and Marie felt a stream of light hit her eyes...

O.B led Marie into the centre of the room and he took a step back away from her...

"Okay..." called O.B. "You can open your eyes now..."

Marie opened one eye and she saw a bright light around her. She opened the other eye and looked around. She was standing in the middle of an empty living room...

She looked around, confused as to where she was. She looked around...

"This isn't Il Gnosh..." said Marie, looking around. "It looks like some sort of empty flat...Why are we in an empty flat??..."

Then it all clicked...

"Oh..." said Marie, looking around. She began to walk around the living area and made her way into the kitchen. O.B followed her and watched as she looked around...

"I know what you've done..." said Marie, looking at the kitchen. The whole area was very familiar to her...

Marie nodded as she walked around. "This is the flat that I liked...I remember it from the photos..."

"You got the keys off the estate agents to show me around..." said Marie, as she started to make her way around the whole flat. She started to make her way around to the bedrooms and she opened each door and looked inside. It seemed like the perfect flat...

She turned to face O.B and nodded. "It seems nice..."

O.B nodded and followed her as she started to look around the other bedrooms.

"Nice enough to live in?"

Marie nodded and stopped walking. "Yeah, I mean it looks...wow, but I can't afford it..."

O.B stopped and folded his arms. "It's already been taken..."

"Then why are we looking around it???" asked Marie, confused. And who bought it, so I can be jealous of them???"

O.B walked up to Marie and handed her something...

"Open this." said O.B and he handed a small box to Marie...

Marie looked at the box and she looked up at O.B and then back down at the box...

Carefully, she opened the tiny lid off the silver box and she saw inside was a key...

"Oh...my...god..." murmured Marie. "No...You're kidding, right?"

O.B looked at Marie, who was still in shock..."Go to the front door and try to see if it fits..."

Marie took the silver key from out of it's box and she walked up to the front door slowly and she placed the key in the lock. It fitted...She twisted the key and the lock closed...She twisted again and the lock opened...

Marie pulled the key out of the lock and stared at the key and then stared back at O.B, still in shock...

"Oh...my...god..." murmured Marie again...

O.B walked up to Marie, who was at the front door. He pulled out another key from his pocket and showed it to Marie.

"Now, this key is mine..." he said, showing her the key.

He touched the other key which was in Marie's hand. "...And this key...is yours...if you want it..."

Marie looked at the two keys. "What are you saying?"

O.B moved closer to Marie. "I'm asking you, if would you like to move into this flat with me? Now, please say if you think this is going way too fast, but seeing as we both are living with friends, it seems stupid for me to have this flat all to myself when there's room enough for someone else...and I can't really think of anyone who I'd rather share a flat with..."

"You...bought this flat?" asked Marie, still taking all of the information in...

O.B nodded. "I got a call a few days ago saying that my offer had been accepted. I got the keys on Christmas Eve..."

Marie looked around the flat and stared down at the key in her hand again...

O.B took Marie's hand. "Now, I don't want to rush you into anything or force you to move in with me and I don't want you to feel you have to accept it, because you don't have to...and this doesn't have to be binding or anything. I mean, you could move in temporarily and if you want out then you can do that...or we can just move in as just friends...anything you want...but it would mean a lot if you could think it through..."

Marie looked up at O.B and then looked around the flat...

"I've already made up my mind..." said Marie.

"You have??" said O.B, surprised.

Marie nodded and smiled. "...Of course I'll move in with you!..."

"Really?" smiled O.B. "Are you sure??"

Marie nodded again. "How could I not say Yes?"

They both smiled at each other and he brought his arms around her and kissed her...

"This is the best birthday present I have ever had..." smiled Marie.

She smiled at O.B and she looked around the flat...

"I could paint the kitchen burgundy now!!" grinned Marie.

"Not burgundy!!" smiled O.B...

_**Wednesday 2nd January 2007**_

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**11:45 am**_

_'Oh it's such a perfect day_

_I'm glad I spent it with you...'_

Zoe Carpenter walked up to the door of the Evissa Salon, brimming with happiness and enthusiasm... Today was her day free from lectures and so, she decided to take advantage of the manicure voucher that Joe had bought her for Christmas...

She smiled to herself as she thought about Joe. Tonight, he was going to take her out into Chester for a night out and she wanted it to be special...

She flicked her pigtails out of her coat and pulled open the door of the salon and walked into the warm, bright-lit salon and smiled at Mel, who was on reception...

Mel was in a good mood too. Life was going perfectly for her. She had stayed off the alcohol for nearly four months now and the AA meetings were actually helping her. Her relationship with Anthony was perfect and she was finally beginning to enjoy life as she used to...

Sitting on the sofa, ready waiting for Zoe to do her nails, was Sophie. Sophie was also feeling thath everything was on track. Her relationship with Russ was growing stronger every day and she had just found a perfect flat in the newspaper for her and Russ to live in...Life couldn't be sweeter for Sophie...

At the far end of the salon, was Marie doing Mercedes McQueen's nails...

Mercedes was in a cheerful mood too. Russ had promised to meet up with her that evening and she also had the bedroom for the evening as Jacqui was going to be with Tony. She sat in her chair and felt that life was finally treating a McQueen fairly for once...

Marie smiled to herself and happily got on with Mercedes' nails. The year was turning up great for her and she had finally got a flat which she loved and she had a stable relationship with O.B...Something which she had dreamed of when she was in prison...

Louise came in from the backroom, holding the appointments book in her hand. The salon was getting busier each day and Louise was finally feeling as if she was in control in once...

Without having to worry about a thing...

_'Oh such a perfect day...'_

_'You just keep me hanging on...'_

Louise then noticed a man walking towards the salon...

A man in a leather jacket and jeans...

A man with brown hair and angry brown eyes...

Louise then looked closer...

_'You just keep me hanging on...'_

The man entered the salon and everyone stared at him, as he stared directly at Louise...

...Then suddenly...

...He slowly pulled out a gun from his jacket...

Louise felt her heart beat faster and she looked into the man's cold, angry eyes...

The girls screamed as the man held out the gun and aimed it at Louise...

_'You just keep me hanging on...' _

"DO YOU THINK YOU COULD GET RID OF ME THAT EASILY, LOUISE?!" shouted the voice of Warren...

_'You're going to reap just what you sow...'_

_'You're going to reap just what you sow...'_

From that moment, all five girl's lives would be very different...

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

** Lyrics from 'Perfect Day' by Antony and the Johnsons (covered by Lou Reed)  
**

**A/N: Dum-dum-deeeerrr! CLIFF-HANGER! Don't worry, I'm not going to leave it there. The story will continue in four-parts which will be up very soon...**

**Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I decided to put two chapters together for this one, so enjoy!!!**

**PLEASE PLEASE review and it will give me motivation to continue the story...**

**Grace xxxxxxx**


	21. The Heist Part One

Chapter 21

The Heist 

Part One

Rating - T/M ( due to strong language and violence)

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of it's characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**Wednesday 2nd January 2007**_

_**12:00 am**_

Warren Fox stood in front of Louise brandishing a gun in front of her. He stared at her up and down and kept the gun aimed firmly at her, not blinking for a second. He concentrated on her face, looking at every tiny detail on her face. Just staring. Cold. Hard.

Louise stared back at Warren, looking deep into his cold eyes, trying to suppress the fear inside her. On the surface, she was calm and composed, but inside, she was scared to death about what might happen to her. She looked at the gun pointing at her and she kept her eyes firmly on Warren. From the corner of her eye, she could see the other girls in the room, staring in horror at Warren...

Louise watched carefully, keeping her focus mostly on Warren, but half on the others in the room. Mel was stood motionless by the desk and Louise could see her making her way towards the telephone...

She caught Mel's attention and she shook her head at Mel. The last thing they needed was the Police here... She could handle Warren by herself...

Warren's eyes flickered and he saw Mel hovering over the telephone, just waiting for the right moment to call for help...

"NOBODY MOVE!" threatened Warren, pointing the gun at each of the girls. "OR SOMEONE WILL GET HURT! DON'T CALL THE POLICE OTHERWISE LOUISE IS HISTORY!"

Mel moved away from the telephone and stared at Louise, who was still watching Warren. Sophie was watching her sister from the nail bar: her eyes flickering from Mel to Warren to Louise. Mercedes was staring in dumb shock at Warren and Louise and continued staring, not knowing what else to do...

Zoe was trembling in her seat, scared of what might happen to them all. She tried to stop herself from shaking, but tried to keep her eyes on Warren, watching his every move, preparing herself for the worse...

Marie's eyes flickered around the room as the tension around them increased. She looked at the door, which Warren was stood in front of and she looked at the window. Nobody was walking past. Nobody could see them. They were all alone in the room with him...And that's what scared them the most. The fear of not knowing...

Louise swallowed hard and she stared back at Warren. "Warren. Listen to me, carefully. Put. The. Gun Down. We can talk rationally like adults..."

Warren started to laugh coldly. "Rationally? RATIONALLY?! Like how you _rationally _decide to TRICK ME into signing myself out of the business???!!! You think that would really work, did you??"

Louise felt her nerves rip to shreds. "Look...I-I...should have talked to you..."

"No excuses, Louise!" spat Warren. "You pretend your all sweet and innocent, but really, you're just a scheming bitch! You act as if butter wouldn't melt in your mouth, but really, you're just as bad as me..."

Louise shook her head and held back the tears in her eyes. "No-one can be as bad as you..."

Warren moved closer to Louise, holding the gun firmly in his hand. "Well...we'll see about that, shall we??"

He turned to the other girls and pointed the gun at each girl.

"Right! ON THE FLOOR, NOW!" barked Warren.

"W-what are you doing?" asked Louise, shakily.

Warren smiled at Louise, bitterly. "Teaching you a lesson you will never forget. ON THE FLOOR! ALL OF YOU!"

The girls all stared at each other and stared back at Louise who was moving slowly towards the middle of the salon floor. Warren held the gun firmly in his hand and he gestured to the floor with his gun. He turned his head and the girls flinted in fear...

"DO YOU WANT ME TO KILL YOU ALL NOW?!!?" screamed Warren. "I SUGGEST YOU GET ON THE FUCKING FLOOR IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!!"

The girls made their way to the floor slowly and one by one kneeled on the floor as Warren commanded. They all avoided Warren as they crouched down on the floor

"Do. Not. Move. Stay. Where. You. Are." threatened Warren. "Do. Not. Make. Any. Noise. Otherwise. You're. All. Dead. Understand?"

The girls nodded and watched as Warren moved over to the door. He shut the blinds on the door and reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver key and locked the door tight. He reached up and bolted the top bolt at the top of the door and on the bottom of the door. He chained the door and rattled the door to see if it was locked securely.

He moved over to the nail bar and dragged along two chairs and barricaded the door with them. He then closed the blinds for the main salon window and dragged the nail bar tables over by the blinds to barricade the window...

The girls watched from the floor as he made sure that no one could look in on them. The anxiety and fear between them grew as they feared over what Warren might do next...

Warren moved away from the window and he held the gun firmly in his hand, ready to use at any moment... He walked over to the desk and pulled out a sports bag. Inside, he pulled out some rope and duck-tape. He zipped the bag back up again...

He grabbed the rope and duck tape and walked over to Louise, who was looking up at him. The fear in her eyes was beginning to show and she felt as if she couldn't fight the battle to hide her emotions any more...

"You're first." smiled Warren, icily down at Louise.

He crouched down and grabbed Louise's arms and yanked them forcefully behind her back, making her wince with pain. He began to tie her hands together and Louise felt as if her shoulders were being stretched.

"Why are you doing this?? These girls don't deserve to be tied up! Just deal with me, but let the girls go!" cried Louise.

"THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!" spat Warren and he began tying Louise's feet together with rope.

Louise started to quiver as Warren touched her as he tied the rope together." Warren, look, I know you're angry, but taking it out like this isn't going to help!!"

"You don't understand, do you? This isn't just about the business!!!" snarled Warren. "I need you to notice me and if this is the only way to get your attention, then so be it..."

Louise started to sob. "Are...you...going...to...kill...us?"

The girls looked at Louise and then looked at Warren, waiting for an answer.

Warren stop tying Louise up and gave her an evil smile. "If you're good, then you live...If you're bad...then, well, you can guess what might happen to you..."

Louise shuddered and she looked down at herself. The rope restricted Louise from making much movement and she felt the rope itch against her skin...

Warren moved over to Sophie, who was the closest next to Louise. He grabbed more rope and pulled Sophie's arms behind her back...

"Oww!" cried Sophie in pain.

"Don't make a noise, Blondie, or you will be next..." hissed Warren in Sophie's ear.

"Why do all this, Warren?" asked Mercedes.

Warren his head to face Mercedes, who was sitting opposite Sophie. She stared back at Warren, with disgust in her eyes.

"Why don't get it all over with and just shoot our brains out??" questioned Mercedes. "It would be a lot quicker for you and you'd get the twisted satisfaction that you want..."

Warren laughed cynically. "You'll never understand, McQueen. If you make a statement in life, you don't just do a quick slapdash job in and out. You have to take time to get the real desired effects of what you want..."

Warren tied the last knot of Sophie's robes and moved onto Mel was sitting.

"Shame..." laughed Warren, cruelly. "Such a pretty waste..."

Mel shook her head. "You're a psycho, that's what you are!"

"Psycho to some, genius to others...I just can't seem to please everyone..." sighed Warren as he began to tie Mel up.

"Is this one of your drug-infused concocted schemes that you came up with whilst high on cocaine?" hissed Mel, as she stared up at Warren.

Warren grabbed Mel's wrists and moved up close to her, so that their faces where almost touching.

"You can talk...being an addict yourself..." spat Warren. "Not necessarily to drugs, but who knows when it's Melanie Burton!"

Mel closed her eyes at the sound of her own name and felt the rage inside her build up...

Zoe was sitting next to Mel and watched as Warren finished tying up Mel. He walked over to Zoe and he crouched down to her level. He stared at her face and she turned her head away, trying to avoid looking at him...She didn't really know who he was, but she could tell that he meant business...

"A newbie, I see..." smirked Warren. "What's your name, then?"

"Z-zoe..." replied Zoe, shakily.

Warren looked at her up and down. "Well, it seems that you picked the wrong day to get your little nails done, hasn't it?"

Zoe nodded and a tear escaped from her eye. She looked down and saw the gun, which was poking out of Warren's trouser pocket. She stared at it, fearing it...

Warren fastened the knots tightly on Zoe's hand and she felt the rope dig into her skin: the fibers irritating her pale skin, making it turn red. He started on her feet and she felt the rope tighten around her ankles and slow down the blood circulation in her feet...

Marie was sitting near to Zoe and she stared at Warren, knowing that she would be next. Questions raced through her head and she tried to dim them out to focus on what was happening around her...

She stared at Warren as he walked over to her, carrying the brown rope in his hands. He flashed her an evil grin and she stared up at him, with hatred and fear in her face...

"The new beautician...Shame we didn't get to know each other better..." said Warren and he brushed his grubby finger over Marie's cheek, causing her to flinch. She felt repulsed by him and it felt like standing next to a ticking time bomb: you didn't know when it was going to go off...

"So, what are you gonna do to us then?" asked Mercedes, as Warren finished tying Marie up.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out..." hissed Warren. "But everything I do, depends on Louise..."

"What do you mean?" cried Louise, as she stared at Warren in horror.

"Didn't you guess earlier?!" smirked Warren. "This is all for YOU, Louise! ALL FOR YOU!!"

Louise started to cry. "Look, if you want me to put you back in the business, then I will, but PLEASE let us go!! I-I'll get a new contract for you! We can pretend it never happened!!"

"TOO LATE, LOUISE!" barked Warren. "BECAUSE OF YOU, THESE GIRLS COULD DIE!! EVERYONE WILL BLAME YOU, YOU KNOW!"

Louise sobbed as Warren walked over to Mercedes, who stared at him, disgusted.

"McQueen. Enough said." laughed Warren.

Mercedes shook her head. "You bastard!"

Mercedes curled up her fist and she punched Warren in the face, causing him to fall back. The others stared back in shock, fearing how he'd react...

Warren grabbed Mercedes' neck and tightened his grip on her neck and raised his gun up to her temple. Mercedes began to wriggle and started to cough and gasped for air. The other girls began to scream as Warren stared menacingly into Mercedes' face...

"DON'T HURT HER, WARREN!" cried Louise.

"NO MORE FUNNY BUSINESS OTHERWISE YOU'RE DEAD!! UNDERSTAND?!" barked Warren.

Mercedes nodded and Warren let go of her, leaving her gasping for air. He grabbed the duck-tape sitting beside him and tore a strip off. He held Mercedes' head and placed the duck-tape over her mouth.

"No more vocal-outbursts from you!" smirked Warren, as he tied Mercedes' hands together.

"See, the thing is Louise, you've never really cared about other people, have you? You never realise the consequences of your actions...By signing away my half of the business, you've ensured four innocent lives are in danger..."

"This is not my fault..." sobbed Louise.

"Because nothing's your fault, is it?!" laughed Warren, manically.

He stood up in the middle of the girls and looked around, looking at each girl one by one. Louise. Sophie. Mel. Zoe. Marie. Mercedes.

Warren clasped his hands together. "There. That's more like it..."

He walked over to his bag near the door and unzipped it, pulling out a knife, gleaming in the sunlight. He walked over to Louise, holding the knife in one hand. The girls started to scream again and Louise stared up at Warren with her tear-stricken eyes.

"SHUT UP OTHERWISE YOU'RE DEAD!" shouted Warren. "THIS IS BETWEEN ME AND LOUISE!"

He kneeled down to Louise on the floor and Louise tried to squirm away: with tears streaming down her face...

"Do you remember that summer in Ibiza, Louise?" asked Warren, looking at the knife in his hand.

Louise shook her head, with even more tears running down her cheeks.

"LIAR!" screamed Warren and he pulled the knife and held it against Louise's cheeks. Louise sobbed to herself and the fear inside her had taken her over...

"OF COURSE YOU REMEMBER IT!" spat Warren. "TELL THE TRUTH!"

Louise looked back at Warren and nodded her head.

"Do you remember how we first met?" asked Warren, calmly lowering the knife." You were at the bar in that purple skirt of yours and you were drinking Sangria's...I'll never forget how you looked that night..."

"What do you want?" sobbed Louise. "Is it money?? I have the key to the vault and y-you can take all the cash you want..."

Warren moved closer towards Louise until their faces were almost touching." I DON'T WANT MONEY! I WANT YOU!"

Louise started to cry out loud and she moved her head away from Warren.

Warren put both hands on Louise's face. "I love you, Louise! I always have loved you! Ever since the day we met, I have always loved you...You're everything I think about. Day and Night. When I think about that clown of a husband Sean and how he treated you so badly, I just scream..."

"Sean was not a clown! I loved him! He treated me a hell of a lot better than you ever will!!" said Louise, harshly.

"YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT SEAN! YOU USED HIM FOR HIS MONEY!! HE NEVER LOVED YOU AT ALL!" shouted Warren. "I COULD TREAT YOU BETTER!"

Louise looked up at Warren, with red eyes. "...We...can...be..together...you, know...If you...let us go, then we can get away...Move away from Hollyoaks and go back to Ibiza...Just how it should be..."

"NO!" spat Warren and he held the knife up to Louise's face again. "YOU'RE JUST SAYING THAT TO GET ME TO LET YOU GO!! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE TOGETHER!"

"LET THE OTHERS GO! THEY DON'T DESERVE TO BE HERE!" cried Louise.

"THEY KNOW TOO MUCH!!" shouted Warren. "NOW, ANSWER THIS: DO YOU LOVE ME?"

Louise looked up at Warren and stared at him. She closed her eyes and turned her head away. Warren grabbed her face and brought it closer to his.

"DO YOU LOVE ME?!" screamed Warren.

"NO! I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU! I HATE YOU!" screamed Louise.

Warren shoved her head violently back and left Louise crying on the floor. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Warren stared nervously at the door...

"Who is it?!" said Warren, quietly, staring at the girls on the floor.

"...M-Mrs. Bradley...She has an appointment at 1:45..." said Louise, shakily.

"Don't. Make. A. Noise." spat Warren, quietly and he stared directly at Mel.

"Hello?" came a voice from outside. "Is anyone there?"

Warren crouched down on the floor and stared at the door, hoping for the women to go away...

They heard footsteps outside and the women walked away from the salon, disappearing back into the village...

Warren sighed and picked up his gun and knife again.

"We cannot take anymore chances." sighed Warren. "Nobody make a move or a sound, OR ELSE!"

He pulled up a spare chair and sat down on it: he was now in the centre between all of the girls and he held up his gun and just sat there...

Waiting...

Just waiting...

_**HCC Residents Hall**_

_**2:00 pm**_

"I don't know about you, but I am bloody starving!" announced Kris, who was sitting down on the sofa, flicking through TV channels...

"What's in the fridge?" asked Jessica, who was listening to her iPod and flicking through an _OK! _magazine.

The students were gathered in the lounge and were taking advantage of the afternoon without any lectures to go too...

Kris was sat on the sofa, trying to see if there was anything on to watch, while Jessica was submerging herself into the world of celebrities. Will was sat reading a book while Joe was in his room...

Olivia sighed and got up from the sofa and made her way towards the kitchen in her fluffy pink slippers and opened the fridge and revealed it's bare contents. She sighed and she pushed past the milk, to find an old orange and a bit of old mouldy cheese in the back of the fridge. She looked in the freezer box, only to find a tub of Ice Cream and some stale Fish Fingers...

"Well, unless you count Ben and Jerry's as food, then no, we have nothing..." sighed Olivia.

"What about the cupboards? I thought I saw a tin of Macaroni Cheese the last time I looked..." asked Will.

Olivia opened the top cupboard above her and pulled out a box of teabags and nothing else.

She shook her head. "Nope. Nothing."

"No Pot Noodle? Or even Bread??" asked Kris, with anticipation.

Olivia shook her head. "We could always order take-out pizza..."

"What a great idea! Ooo, I fancy a Hawaiian Pizza! Now, that's the best pizza topping!" grinned Kris.

Jess shook her head. "No way! I prefer a plain Cheese Pizza!"

"What an interesting life you must lead!" laughed Kris, sarcastically.

Jess rolled her eyes and continued to read her magazine.

Will put down his book. "Hang on, doesn't the pizza place only open at 5?"

"Damnit! Why can't things be open when you need it!!" sighed Kris.

"Where's Zoe gone?" asked Will, picking his book up again.

"She's at Evissa having a pamper session, using the vouchers I bought her for Christmas!" smiled Jessica.

Kris frowned. "Zoe?? In a salon?? When does Zoe ever go to salons??"

Olivia flopped back onto the sofa again. "She's got a date with Joe tonight..."

"Ah...Why all the effort though? I mean, it's only Joe!" laughed Kris.

"Thanks, mate!" said Joe, sarcastically as he entered the room.

Will stared at Joe as he entered the room and instantly got back to his book. Joe looked around and flopped down on the sofa, next to Olivia.

"Hello everyone..." smiled Joe, yawning.

"Good Morning, Joe or should I say, Good Afternoon?" laughed Kris. "Lazy boys, honestly..."

"Hey! A man needs his sleep to prepare him for the day!" smiled Joe. "God, I'm hungry...What's there to eat?"

"Nothing. Some of us, haven't been shopping..." said Jess, staring directly at Kris.

"Would it kill you to do the shopping once in a while?" asked Kris, turning to face Jess.

"I do the laundry...sometimes!" protested Jess.

"What about take-out?" asked Joe, staring at the pizza menu next to him...

"Not open." sighed Olivia, filing her nails.

"Well, how about I go down to Il Gnosh and pick up a pizza?" suggested Joe.

"Yes!! Thank-you!!" smiled Olivia.

"Thank God for Joe!" laughed Kris.

"I suggest we all get a Margherita to avoid any squabbles..." smiled Joe, looking directly at Kris and Jess...

"What? Why are you looking at me? She starts them!" protested Kris, pointing to Jess.

Jess folded her arms. "I do not!"

"I need to go and pick Zoe up afterwards anyway..." said Joe, getting up.

"Getting serious now, is it?" smiled Olivia.

"Wait and see..." smiled Joe and he grabbed his coat and left the room...

_**Il Gnosh **_

_**2.30 pm**_

Tony Hutchinson smiled politely to the couple at the table as he handed over the menus to the them and walked over to the counter and looked around the restaurant. It was quite busy as usual, but it was nothing Tony couldn't handle.

He yawned to himself and leaned back against the wall, hoping for his tiredness to go away...

"What's the matter, Tony?" asked O.B as he came out through the kitchen. "Too many late nights with Jacqui McQueen?"

"No..." sighed Tony. "Just tired. Rushed off my feet twenty-four seven..."

"Ah, well. Nearly the end of the week..." sighed Dom, appearing from out of the kitchen, with no more cooking to do...

"The Christmas Rush is over...And now we are left with the boring reality of life..." sighed Tony and he smoothed down the creases in his chef's jacket.

O.B rolled his eyes. "It's only boring if you make it boring.."

"Why don't you go on holiday or something? Take your mind off things...You could go with Jacqui!" suggested Dom, folding his arms.

"Jacqui is tagged, remember? If she leaves the country, then hell will break loose and she'll be back in prison before you could say 'Jail Bait'!" sighed Tony.

O.B smiled. "Hey, look on the bright side of life! At least you don't have any money worries or anything like that!"

"Yeah, you're right..." smiled Tony. "I will try and cheer up. Starting from now. A happier Tony."

"Thank God for that! You've been moping around the place like a wet weekend!" replied O.B.

"2007 seems set to be a good year..." said Tony, nodding to himself.

Dom nodded. "Well, let's hope so too..."

The door of Il Gnosh opened and a woman in her late forties walked into the restaurant with a dissatisfied look on her face. She began to walk up to the bar, nattering to herself. Dom disappeared back into the kitchen and Tony smiled at the woman as she came up to the counter and sat down at the bar.

"What can I get you?" smiled Tony, to the woman.

"A large gin and tonic, please." replied the woman. "I need one after all the traveling I have done today! Good for nothing Evissa..."

"Oh dear...Bad service?" asked Tony as he began to pour the woman a drink.

The woman sighed angrily. "Three weeks ago, I went to Evissa to get my nails done and I was very impressed by them, so I asked to have another nail appointment on Wednesday 2nd January at 1:45. When I just got there, I find that they were closed! Can you believe that? How can they close at a ridiculous time like that?!"

"Closed? Evissa don't close at 1:45!" laughed Tony.

The woman sighed again. "Well, when I got there, the blinds were drawn shut and the lights were turned off. Although on the door, the sign said it was Open. So, I tried the door, but it had been locked shut! But it was weird, because when I walking down to the salon, I heard voices coming from the salon, so I naturally assumed they were open!"

Tony turned to O.B, who was standing by the door to the kitchen. "Evissa doesn't close at 1:45, does it?"

O.B shook his head. "I don't think so, otherwise Marie would have finished by now...Why are you asking whether it had closed?"

Tony pointed to the woman at the bar. "This woman had an appointment booked and she went down to the salon and heard voices, but the blinds were drawn, the lights were off and the door was shut, but the sign said it was Open..."

"That's odd..." said O.B, looking up at Tony. "...Marie should still be at the salon if it was open...I'll try phoning her..."

O.B got out his mobile phone and began to scroll down for Marie's number...

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**2:40 pm**_

Marie was sat down on the ground, watching Warren as he sat in his chair in the middle of the room, watching the girls as they sat tied up on the floor. She looked up at him, with disgust and pure hatred...

She sighed to herself and winced as she tried to move her hands. The rope scraped past her skin every time she moved and imbedded into her skin further. Her main focus was on trying to wriggle her hands free out of the rope and she had managed to get one finger free from the rope. She continued to stare at Warren, trying to not look suspicious as she tried to set her hands free...

Marie sighed to herself and twisted her hands around, to try and ease the rope off her hands.

_'What a fantastic start to 2007...First day back at work and you get taken hostage by a homicidal maniac...And life was going well for once!' _thought Marie to herself.

She twisted her hands round again, but felt the burn of the rope as it brushed against her skin. She winced as it eroded her skin and she felt the will to be free slowly disappear with every move she made...

_'Is he going to kill us?...What if I die today?...No, don't think about it...Just concentrate on getting your hands free...'_

Marie looked around at the other girls near her. Louise had stopped sobbing, but was still crying silently to herself, trying to convince herself that it wasn't her fault. Sophie was looking worried and her eyes flickered to the window, hoping someone would rescue them... Mel was in a stony silence, just staring at Warren in pure anger, while Zoe looked like she was going to cry any moment now. Mercedes had the same angry expression Mel had, but she was staring at the floor, trying to avoid looking at Warren.

Marie felt the rope beginning to ease and she continued to twist her hands to be able to free her hand...

Warren was continuing to stare at Louise as she quietly cried to herself. He kept the gun propped up and pointed to the centre of the room. The knife was safely by his hand and Warren kept one of his hands over the knife: just in case he needed to use it...

Mel looked up at Warren and she broke the deadly silence.

"What do you want to achieve from this, Warren? A life behind bars? Reputation for being a murderer?"

Warren stared directly at Mel, with no sign of any feeling in his face.

"A chance to be recognised. To actually make my mark upon people..."

"You disgust me." said Mel, staring deep into his eyes.

Warren laughed, cynically."No what you were saying when you practically threw yourself on me a few months back..."

"Yeah, then I realised what a screwed up man you really were...I've already dealt with psycho men in the past, so you shouldn't be a problem!..." hissed Mel.

Warren pointed his gun at Mel and Mel felt her heart beat faster. "IS THAT A THREAT?!"

"DON'T KILL HER!" screamed Sophie, who was now becoming hysterical.

Marie stared in horror as she watched as Warren held the gun steadily, with his finger pulsing the trigger.

Warren looked at Mel and he put the gun down and got up off his chair and walked towards the window. Mel sighed to herself, relieved, but she held her hands together: trying to stop them from shaking...

Warren peeped out of the window: making sure no one was coming up to Evissa. He had checked that the people who lived around the area had gone out before he had gone into the Salon...

"...Are you... going to hold us in here all night?" asked Sophie, petrified off what Warren was going to say next.

"However long it takes..." said Warren, staring at the blinds. "All depends on Louise..."

Louise turned her head away and tried to console herself that it wasn't her fault...

Marie felt her hand become free and she became determined to get her hands free. She started wriggling furiously and she managed to get one hand free. She sighed to herself quietly with joy and she wriggled her fingers: trying to get some movement back into them. Her wrist throbbed from the rope burns and she felt the stinging pain of the red raw cuts as she flexed her hand behind her back.

Zoe watched and saw that Marie had got her hand free. She stared in amazement and she stared at Marie: hoping she would free her...

"You women will never learn, will you?" sighed Warren to himself as he stared at the blinds. "You take everything you want and you never think about how it effects others around you..."

Suddenly, Marie felt something vibrating in her pocket. In shock, she kept deadly still and her hand reached into the side pocket of her jacket and she pulled out her mobile phone very slowly. She looked at Warren, who was still staring at the blinds.

Marie glanced down at her mobile phone screen and saw she had 2 missed calls. The phone started to vibrate again and it was O.B calling...

Marie quickly pushed the 'Accept' button and she turned her head slowly away to the side...

"You see, Louise. You never really took notice of me, did you?? You just dismissed me and thought you were better than me, didn't you?! You never really understood how much I care for you..." spat Warren.

"Hello?" whispered Marie quietly into her phone.

"Marie! Finally!" came the voice of O.B from her phone. "I've been trying to reach you for ages now! Sorry, did I interrupt you?"

Marie sighed to herself: grateful to hear his voice again. "No, it's okay..."

"Are you still at Evissa still 'cause this woman is saying it's closed?" asked O.B.

Marie's eyes quickly flickered to see Warren shouting at a shaken Louise, who was sobbing again. Mel stared at Marie as she saw Marie's phone and she was trying to mouth something to Marie...

"Listen..." whispered Marie. "I need you to get help. We are in trouble. Get help now, as soon as you can!"

"Sorry?" replied O.B. "I can't hear you. You're breaking up!"

"Call. The. Police." whispered Marie, getting louder. "Warren. Is. Holding. Us. Hostage!"

Warren turned his head and his eye's flickered towards Marie and her eyes caught his and Marie looked like a deer caught in headlights...

"What did you say?? Something about calling someone?? Is someone shouting or something?" replied O.B.

Warren stormed over to Marie and he turned her head violently and grabbed the phone off her. Louise screamed as he threw the phone across the room and it smashed into pieces.

"YOU SCHEMING BITCH!" screeched Warren and he grabbed Marie's arm, twisting it back, making Marie cry out in pain. "YOU'VE CALLED THE POLICE, HAVEN'T YOU?!"

"No...I-I swear!" cried Marie.

Warren shook his head. "LIAR!"

"The p-phone just started ringing! I just picked it up!" stammered Marie, with tears streaming down her cheeks as Warren twisted her arm further backwards.

"It's true!" said Zoe, piping in. "She wasn't calling the Police!"

"DID I ASK FOR YOUR OPINION!?" shouted Warren, at Zoe and he turned his head back to facing Marie.

Warren stared at Marie, who was crying in fear for her life.

"DO YOU DELIBERATLY DISOBEY ME?!" shouted Warren and he got out his gun and held it gun to Marie's head.

Marie started to cry harder as he twisted her arm even more. "NO!" she cried out.

"WARREN, STOP THIS NOW!" cried Louise.

Warren looked at Louise and yanked Marie's arm backwards and he tied the rope back over her hands again.

Warren stood up and walked over to Louise.

"LOOK, GET IT OVER WITH NOW! KILL ME! YOU CAN HAVE ME ALWAYS THEN!" cried Louise, hysterically. "LET THE OTHERS GO! JUST KILL ME!"

"NO!" barked Warren. "THAT WOULD BE TOO EASY!"

Louise started to cry harder and covered her face in her hands.

"WHY, WARREN, WHY??!" sobbed Louise.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND YOU BETRAYED ME! YOU TOSSED ME OUT!" cried Warren, with tears in his own eyes. "AND YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR IT! AND IF IT MEANS BY KILLING YOUR WORKERS AND CUSTOMERS IN FRONT OF YOU, THEN SO BE IT!!"

_**Hollyoaks Village **_

_**2 hours later...**_

Joe Spencer cheerily walked along the pavement, with a permanent smile tattooed on his face. He smiled at everyone who walked past him. His mood couldn't be better and he was finally moving up in life. With a full stomach full of pizza, he was now ready to go and pick up Zoe from the salon...

He had changed into his smart navy shirt and dark jeans and was planning to surprise Zoe by going to the salon. He strolled down the pavement, brimming with enthusiasm and confidence...

_'This will surprise Zoe...' _thought Joe to himself. _'..One good deed a day. A new Joe Spencer! New Year's Resolution Number 1: Be More Spontaneous! Well, this is a spontaneous act! I will be Boyfriend Of The Year!'_

He strolled down past Il Gnosh and Drive n' Buy and began to walk down towards Evissa. He shivered slightly at the cold, but shrugged it off and carried on walking. The street leading down to Evissa was quiet and there was hardly any noise as he walked down the street...

He started to walk quicker as he eagerness to get to Zoe grew. As he walked further down the street, he began to see Evissa in the distance. He quickened his walking pace and the outline of Evissa became clearer...

As he walked further down the street, he saw that the blinds of Evissa had been shut and it looked like the lights had been turned off. Puzzled, he continued to walk down the road and he stared at Evissa as he walked down.

Joe had got past the brick wall steps and was close to the front entrance of Evissa. He started to slow down as he walked up to the salon and he stared at Evissa in curiosity. He stopped as he heard noises coming from the salon...

Shouting...

Screams...

And then he heard a sound that shook him down to the core...

...A gun shot...

Joe stared at the salon in horror as he realised what was going on and he began to run back down the main street to find help. He ran as far as his feet could take him and he felt the wind brush past him as he raced towards the main pavilion of Hollyoaks...

He saw Il Gnosh and he began to race towards it. His heart was beating faster than ever and he felt more terrified than ever. Images of Zoe in trouble were flashing in his mind and that made him even more scared...

He pushed past some people as he headed up towards the main doors of Il Gnosh and he pulled the doors wide open...

He ran inside and the diners stared at him as he bumped into a waitress and clambered past the tables. He dodged the chairs as he made his way through the restaurant.

"HELP!" called Joe, as he ran up to the counter.

"Are you okay, Joe?" asked O.B, as Joe started panting for air.

Tony and Dom reappeared from the kitchen and stared as they saw Joe, leaning against the counter, out of breath.

"What's going on?" asked Tony, as he stared at Joe.

Joe panted for breath. "HELP!... NOW!"

"You look terrible!" remarked Tony and he came out from the counter and walked over to Joe. "Calm down! What's wrong?"

"TROUBLE!...SHOT!" shouted Joe. The other diners stared at Joe in curiosity and they stared to whisper to one another.

Russ Owen who was sitting at one of the tables, stared at Joe, with a concerned look on his face.

Tony looked at Joe up and down. "Trouble? Where?? You've been shot??"

"GIRLS IN TROUBLE! GUNSHOT!" panted Joe.

"What girls?? Are you sure you haven't imagined this??" asked Tony, as he looked at Joe.

Dom shook his head. "We haven't heard any gunshots..."

"SCREAMS! GIRLS IN SALON IN TROUBLE! THERE WAS SHOUTING AND EVERYTHING AND A GUNSHOT!!"

"How do you know this??" asked Dom.

"There's trouble at the salon??" questioned O.B as he looked at Joe.

"WINDOWS BOARDED UP AND EVERYTHING!" added Joe. "ZOE IS IN THERE! THERE WAS A MAN SHOUTING AND SCREAMS AND THEN A GUNSHOT!!"

"I knew I heard shouting in the background when I called earlier, but I didn't think anything of it!!" said O.B, concerned.

"Wait? There's trouble at the salon???!" asked Russ. "Sophie is working there today!"

Tony's eyes widened. "That's why the woman thought it was closed!!"

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?!" shouted Joe. "WE HAVE TO HELP!"

Tony, Dom, Russ, O.B and most of the diners started to follow Joe out of the door and

Tina McQueen was walking up to Il Gnosh and she immediately spotted Dom walking out of Il Gnosh. She smiled at him and began to follow him.

"Dom! I was just about to come in!" smiled Tina. She stared at the people following Joe. "Where are you all going?"

"There's trouble at the salon, so we're all going down to see what the problem is..." stated Dom.

Tina looked up at Dom. "But my sister is in there!"

"Come on, we'll go and see...I'm sure it's nothing..." said Dom, putting a protective arm around Tina...

_**Evissa Salon**_

_**4:55 pm**_

Warren sat on the chair in the middle of the salon, holding the gun firmly in his hand and staring at Louise, who had stopped crying. The other girls stared at Warren: nervous and scared of what he was going to do. Louise was looking at the ground, closing her red puffy eyes and thinking about the chaos around her. Sophie was looking around, scared stiff of what Warren might do next and secretly hoping for someone to rescue them. Mel was trying to undo her hands secretly and she had almost got her hands free. Zoe was staring at the window, wishing she had never come to the salon today. Marie was feeling the pain of her twisted arm but felt helpless as she couldn't undo her hands again, while Mercedes was thinking about a plan of escape...

Warren caressed the gun in his hand and he kept his eye on each and every girl in the room. He had no specific plan and he was trying to think of his next move...

Mel sighed. "What do you plan to do now, Warren? 'Cause I have seen better hostages in kiddy's plays..."

"ONE MORE WORD AND YOU'LL END UP WITH THE DUCK-TAPE!" shouted Warren.

He got up off his stool and he pulled out his knife and walked towards Louise. Louise stared up at Warren as he walked towards her and she felt the fear inside her re-ignite...

"We are going to play a game..." stated Warren, walking around Louise. "A simple game where if you get the question right, then you remain unharmed...but if you get the question wrong, then...consequences will follow..."

He flashed Louise his knife and it gleamed from the streams of daylight coming from the short slits in the blinds. Louise stared at the knife in bewilderment and she followed Warren with her eyes.

Warren crouched down to Louise and he stared directly at her face.

"First question..." sneered Warren as he stared at Louise. "Louise...do you honestly think that you could get away from me?"

Louise stared up at Warren and she was about to nod her head, but instead shook it. "It would have at least cut my ties from you..."

Warren twirled the knife in his hand and looked up at Louise again. "Second question...Did you really love Sean?"

Louise stared up at Warren, silent and remorseful. "I did...and deep down, I still have some feeling for him..."

Warren nodded and exhaled heavily. "Third question...Did you think that I was just a quick holiday affair that you could just do to get back at Sean and then forget about it?"

Louise looked up at him. "I'm not answering that..."

Warren held the knife up to her face. "ANSWER ME!"

"NO! WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO ANSWER THAT?!" cried Louise.

Warren pushed the knife up to Louise's face and struck her face. Louise screamed and Warren pulled the knife away: leaving a deep cut on Louise's cheek...

"THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD!" barked Warren, as blood slowly trickled down Louise's face. The other girls stared in horror and Louise began to cry again...

Mel felt her hands become loose and she slowly crawled across to Sophie and started to untie Sophie's ropes...

"NOW, TELL ME! TELL ME THE ANSWER OR I WILL GIVE YOU A MATCHING MARK ON YOUR OTHER CHEEK!" shouted Warren, with anger flaring up in his eyes...

Mel had untied Sophie's hands and feet and stood up slowly. She saw in a gap in the window that people were starting to walk up to the salon. A crowd of people...

Sophie crawled over to Zoe and began to help her untie her ropes...

Mel grabbed the vase from the table carefully and quietly and slowly walked up behind Warren...

"YES! I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FLING! I DIDN'T REALISE WHAT A PYSCHOPATH YOU REALLY WERE!" screamed Louise.

Sophie had finished untying Zoe and they both made their way over to Marie and Mercedes, to help them get untied...

Warren grabbed the knife and slashed Louise's other cheek, making Louise scream again and cry out loud...

"YOU WHORE!" spat Warren at Louise. "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A CHEAP AND NASTY LITTLE WHORE WHO THINK'S SHE CAN OVERPOWER ME!! BUT GUESS WHAT? NO-ONE CAN STOP ME NOW!"

"Oh yeah?" replied Mel.

Warren turned sharply to see Mel standing behind him. She grabbed the vase and hit Warren over the head with it, making Warren collapse to the floor and glass shards scattering all over the salon floor...

"Whose stopped you, now!" said Mel, as Warren lay on the floor...

The door handle of the salon began to twist and the noises of the people outside began to grow and their were shouts coming from outside...

Zoe was in the process of untying Marie and Mercedes. Sophie quickly raced to the door and started to move the chairs out of the way to get to the locks...

Mel quickly started to untie a shaky Louise, when suddenly Warren sat up and he punched Mel's face. Louise cried out and Mel fell to the floor. Warren quickly tried to find his knife, but it had been kicked over the other side of the room...

"Sophie???" called Russ from outside. "Are you in there??"

"YES!" Sophie, with tears in her eyes. "I'm here! I'm trying to get the door unlocked, but it's stuck!!"

"I'm so glad you're okay! What's happening in there??" asked Russ.

"It's Warren!" cried Sophie. "He's gone psycho! He tied us up and everything!...The door won't budge!"

Zoe raced to the door to help Sophie with the door. Zoe had untied Marie and Marie quickly went over to Louise and started to untie her ropes...

Warren quickly looked around frantically for his weapons, but they were no-where to be seen...

Mel sat up and she stood up and grabbed Warren from behind and punched him in the face. Warren pulled down Mel and began to hold her down, restraining her. He quickly noticed something shiny a few metres in front of him...

The gun...

Mel quickly spotted the gun too and they both began to scramble for the gun...

"The door won't open!" cried Zoe. "It needs a key!"

"ZOE!" cried Joe from the other end of the door. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"JOE!" cried Zoe and she began to cry. "The door won't open! We need your help!! Warren has a gun!"

"I'll do everything I can!" replied Joe and he started to help break down the door...

"RUSS!" called Sophie. "I just wanted to say that... -

Mel quickly thumped Warren in the stomach and began to crawl up to reach the gun...

Sophie sighed and began to cry. "Well, I know this sounds stupid but...

Warren sat up and quickly crawled up to Mel and he thumped her in the chest, leaving her clutching her chest on the ground...

He quickly reached his hand up to reach the gun...

"Whatever happens...I love you!" finished Sophie.

Marie finished untying Louise and she got up and both of them headed towards the door...

Warren quickly aimed the gun and he pulled the trigger...

BANG...

The girls began to scream as she dropped to the ground...

The people outside stood in horror as they heard the shot and the screams...

"YOU'VE KILLED HER!"

**TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO…………..**

**END OF PART ONE**

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry I haven't updated in ages - busy time with mocks and all! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW as I would LOVE to hear from you and what you think!**

**Grace xxx**


	22. The Heist Part Two

Chapter 22

The Heist

Part Two

Rating - T/M ( due to strong language and violence)

Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of it's characters except OCs and Ideas

_**Outside Evissa Salon**_

_**5:25 pm**_

The crowd of people stood outside the salon looked in horror as they heard the gunshot and the screams from inside the salon. All was silent as they dreaded to think about what was going on inside the salon...

Joe Spencer and Russ Owen were standing by the door of the salon and they tried looking inside to see who had been shot. Joe tried looking inside the door, but he couldn't see anything. He kicked the door furiously and banged against the door with his fists as they heard the noises from the girls inside...

"We need to call the police, now!!" shouted Joe, shakily. "Someone is hurt and we need to help them!!"

Dom turned to Joe, who was getting out his mobile phone. "But what if Warren finds out??? He's gonna do something stupid if we call the police!"

"HOW THE HELL IS HE GONNA KNOW THAT WE ARE CALLING THE POLICE??" barked Joe as he started to dial '999' into his phone...

"BACK OFF ALL OF YOU BEFORE THE OTHER GIRLS GET SHOT TOO!" came the voice of Warren from inside the salon. The girls screams had now stopped and the people stood still as they heard the voice of Warren...

"CALL THE POLICE AND THEY WILL ALL DIE! I AM WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE!" shouted Warren's voice...

Joe held his mobile phone shakily in his hand and he stood in silence and tried to listen to see if the girls were alright from inside the salon...

_**Inside Evissa Salon...**_

The girls stood motionless in the salon as they saw her body laying on the ground infront of them...

Lifeless...

Cold...

Warren stood in front of them, holding his gun firmly in his hand, pointed at the girls... He was staring at the CCTV monitor and he watched the people from outside. Down on the floor, there was a pool of blood near the doorway, which had seeped into the woodwork and turned the wood a scarlet colour...

He turned and looked at his victim who lay unconscious on the floor...

He got up from the chair and pointed the gun at the girls: ready to pull the trigger again at any of the girls who dared to cross his path...

"On. The. Floor. Now..." hissed Warren, quietly at the girls.

His eyes flickered again at the girl who lay on the floor. Sweat began to trickle down his forehead and his hands were becoming unsteady. He had not planned to kill her and he was surprised that he went through with it.

_'She got in the way...' _Warren repeatedly told himself over and over in his head...

He took a few steps forward and his eyes flickered towards the window. It was still blacked out, like the door and he was grateful that he couldn't see the mob of angry faces outside...

_'Is she dead?' _thought Warren to himself as he stared at her body. The bullet had gone to the head and she wasn't moving at all...

Warren shakily sighed to himself and tried to plan out his next move...

But on the ground, the eyes of his victim stared back at him as he tried to think: making him feel uneasy...

The guilt was creeping up on Warren, but he tried with all his might to suppress it...

For there on the floor lay the lifeless body of Sophie Burton...

_**Outside the Salon...**_

_**Time Since Capture: 5 hours, 45 minutes, 22 seconds**_

Joe, Russ, Tony, O.B, Dom, Tina and Justin were all at the front of crowd of people outside of the salon. The people who had come from Il Gnosh were busy talking amongst themselves: whispering to fellow people and waiting to see what someone would do to help them...

Justin Burton sighed angrily to himself and turned to face everyone. Fear was visible on his face as he dreaded to think about what his twin sisters were going through. Life was changing drastically for him. Becca had kicked him out and he was now residing to sleeping on Sonny's floor - and he was possibly the father of new-born baby Charlie...

The gunshot had terrified Justin and he decided that it was now or never and that now was the time to act and do something...

"WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GONNA DO?!" asked Justin, angrily. "STAND AROUND HERE LIKE HEADLESS CHICKENS?! WARREN IS HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE! WE NEED TO CALL THE POLICE! THEY COULD BE HURT!"

"DID YOU NOT HEAR HIM?! HE SAID IF WE CALL THE POLICE, THEN HE IS GONNA KILL THE GIRLS! WE'D BE PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK!" argued Russ and he tried to think about what to do...

Russ sighed to himself and his nerves were beyond his control anymore. Two women that he cared about where inside the salon and just two days ago, he was worrying about choosing which girl to pick. Now, it seemed that Warren had the upper hand and with one move, he could make the choice for Russ by simply killing one of the two girls he loved the most...

"We need to start thinking..." stated Russ, as he stared at the salon. "We are not going to call the Police just yet...We need to see if we can get in there first and take control. Calling the police is the last resort into solving this..."

Joe stared at Russ in disbelief. "Are you even listening to yourself??!? We are not macho-super heroes who can just stroll in and take control of the situation!! Warren is armed - with a gun and god knows what else! SOMEONE COULD BE DEAD RIGHT NOW! ZOE COULD BE HURT!!"

O.B turned to face Joe. "Don't think that you're the only person who has someone who they care about in there, Joe! At least Russ is trying and he is right. If we call the police, then Warren is going to get even more vicious..."

Tina shook her head. "You are all kidding yourselves!! The Police can handle the situation better! They have more experience than us at doing these things! If we call the police, then they can get the girls out quicker and could save their lives rather than us barging in and getting shot in the process!"

"Yeah, but the police are going to take longer to get here and lives could be lost if we don't act now!!" stated Russ.

"We are not in some crime show, Russ!" shouted Justin. "Warren is a mad-man! He'd kill all the girls if we go in now and storm the place! And what do we have, huh? No guns! No weapons! No nothing! We have no idea what Warren has inside there and what he might do next!"

"We all need to calm down, for starters!!" said Tony, calmly. "We are not going to get anywhere from standing here and arguing out different points to each other. If Russ has an idea, then we should all listen to Russ...It's better than standing here doing nothing..."

They all turned to Russ, who was still deep in thought: trying to think up a plan...

...But inside, he knew that Justin was right...

...They didn't know what Warren was going to do next...

...So, how could they possibly know what to do themselves??

_**Inside Evissa Salon**_

Mel Burton stood, shaking, with tears brimming in her eyes as she stared at her sister down on the ground. It felt as if her whole world had coming crashing down before her eyes and she had no control over what was happening. Her twin was lying on the floor hurt and she couldn't do anything to help her. She wanted to scream out loud and rip Warren to pieces, but she knew that she had to remain strong and not appear weak in front of Warren: for Warren fed off weakness and weakness was a sign of giving up and Mel was certainly not prepared to do that...

Everything was going round in circles and her head was spinning...

_'It's just a dream...' _thought Mel to herself. _'This isn't happening...'_

Mel crouched down to her sister, Sophie on the floor and gasped in horror as she saw her sister's blood on the floor...

"...S-Sophie?..." whispered Mel as she gently touched her sister on the arm. Sophie's white uniform was practically covered in blood and her eyes remained open. Her hair lay limp on the floor and the gun wound from the side of Sophie's temple was visible...

Mel stared quietly in horror as she felt Sophie's cold skin. She gently placed two fingers on Sophie's neck to try and find a pulse...

A single tear spilled down from Mel onto Sophie as she waited to see if there was any signs of life from her sister. Mel pushed a little harder in vain to try and find Sophie's pulse...

...Nothing...

"GET ON THE FLOOR, NOW!" barked Warren again.

Mel looked at her sister and felt her whole body crumble with emotion. They were sisters. They did everything together and we're there for each other for the good time and the bad times They even planned to have a joint wedding when they both got married. Now, Sophie was gone, Mel felt like she didn't have the strength to carry on herself...

Louise, Marie, Zoe and Mercedes quietly obeyed Warren and walked over to the floor again. They were all crying silently with fear over their own lives: silently praying that they wouldn't be next...

"FACE DOWN!" repeated Warren and the girls lay down on the floor...

Mel stared down at her sister and she brushed her hair out of her eyes...

"I'm so sorry..." whispered Mel, tearfully as she walked over to the floor. She looked at Warren, angrily and knew she had to be strong in front of him: as weakness would be strength for Warren and he would use it against her. She would have to stay strong for her sister as it would have been what Sophie had wanted...

She reluctantly got down on the floor and tried to hide the tears as she lay down on the floor. The other girls watched as Mel got down on the floor. They looked up at Warren who was trying to keep calm and composed...

"Stay silent and you live..." whispered Warren, holding the gun steadily in his hand.

Louise looked up at Warren, with her blood-stained cheeks and her puffy red eyes. She looked back down at the floor again and looked at Sophie on the floor and felt her heart tear up inside...

_'This is all my fault...I should have stopped him...Why did I go behind his back and sign him out of the business?...Just because I hate him...And now, Sophie is dead because of it_

_and I'm the one to blame...My life has been worthless and I haven't achieved much...Just a failed marriage and salon which could cost all of our lives...Everyone just sees me as a stuck-up cow and that's how I'll die...A stuck-up stubborn cow for bailing out and thinking getting Warren out of the business would solve everything...'_

Zoe was sat quivering on the floor, scared out of her mind with fear and confusion. It was the fear of the unknown that scared her the most as Sophie's killing was a random shooting that came out of nowhere...She looked at the window and was praying inside that Joe could break in and save her...

_'I don't want my life to end this way...I mean, I've only just started my new life and now it could be taken away from me just as easily...I finally found something to do that I was good at..._.._And most of all, I found Joe again...For so long, I thought I'd never see him again and now I've been reunited with him and now it could all be over any minute now...I've wanted to do so many things like go traveling and seeing the sights but now I might not be able to do that...Sophie didn't deserve to die...I didn't know her that well...Never really spoke to her much...I can't imagine what her sister is going through...I wish someone would just save us...'_

Marie sat motionless on the floor, watching Warren as he was crouched on the floor with the gun in his hand and she looked at Sophie with tears in her eyes...

_'We need to get out of here...Oh god,...Sophie...We're gonna die if we stay in here...We need to Police or something...I wish this would just end...Why is he doing this?? He's obviously gone off his head...Please help us...'_

_**Outside the Salon...**_

_**Time Since Capture: 6 hours, 5 minutes, 22 seconds**_

Russ paced up and down near from where the salon was: thinking to himself as he gathered his thoughts together. Tony, Dom, O.B, Tina, Justin and Joe were all waiting for Russ to make a decision and their eyes flickered over to the salon from time to time: making sure nothing else happened...

He turned to face them all and he sighed to himself...

"We need to try and talk with him and get him to reason with us...You know, negotiate with him..." he sighed as he looked at the salon.

"Madmen tend not to negotiate...They just tend to kill!" hissed Justin.

Russ shook his head. "Well, what does he want for starters?"

Tony sighed. "The salon, maybe? I have no idea..."

"Can we please do something!" said Tina, urgently. "We need to do something now!"

Joe looked up at Russ. "How can we negotiate with him? He's not going to listen to us!"

"Well, if we try and talk him out of it, then he might let the girls go..." said Russ, still staring at the salon.

Justin shook his head. "He won't let them go without force!..."

"Well, it's worth a shot!" exclaimed Russ. "Now, are any of you want to talk to him or shall I?"

Tony stood up. "I'll talk if you want..."

"I'm telling you! He WILL NOT give up!" shouted Justin. "I know this guy! He is not the type you say no to!"

"Well, what other options do we have!" asked Dom.

O.B stood up. "I think it is time we called the Police...We have no idea what is going on in there and for all we know, he could be poisoning them or something!"

"Okay...If he doesn't listen, then we will call the police..." added Russ.

"We should have called the Police hours ago, but _someone_ said that we would put the girls in jeopardy!" muttered Joe.

"Anything we do is going to be a risk!" sighed Russ. "But we need to find out what he wants..."

"So, we're going to give into his demands?" said Justin, folding his arms.

"I'm not saying that!" shouted Russ. "I'm saying if we talk to him, then we might get some sense out of things! I suggested breaking in, but none of you really seemed to be keen on that idea, so we are going to go with this one!"

Russ looked at Tony and they stepped up closer to the blacked-out salon, while the others stood behind them. Russ felt his heart race as they got closer to the salon...

"Warren?" shouted Tony. "Can you hear us?? We want you to let the girls go!!"

There was a moment of silence and then they eventually heard Warren's voice:

"You think I'm going to give them up just like that?!" came the angry voice of Warren.

"Why are you doing this?!" shouted Russ.

"BECAUSE YOU NEVER GET ANYWHERE IN LIFE WITHOUT BEING HEARD!" boomed Warren.

"LISTEN, YOU BASTARD!" shouted Justin, "LET THEM GO! THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG! GIVE YOURSELF UP OTHERWISE WE ARE CALLING THE POLICE!"

"SHUT-IT, YOU NIEVE SCHOOLKID!" shouted Warren. "I'M CLAIMING WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE AND IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, BLAME LOUISE SUMMERS!"

"WARREN, JUST LET THEM GO AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM!" replied Russ, trying to stay calm.

"NO! THE GIRLS CAN ROT IN HELL!" shouted Warren.

"That is it!!" shouted O.B. "I'm calling the Police..."

"YOU HEAR THAT?" shouted Justin. "WE'RE CALLING THE POLICE!"

"YOU'LL BE SORRY, BURTON!" came Warren's voice.

O.B got out his mobile phone and dialed in '999'. He was about to press ring, when he saw someone in a police officer's uniform walking down the street...

O.B stared at the Police man as he walked down the street. "Wait! Hold up! Here's a copper.."

They all looked as they saw Calvin walk down to the group stood outside the salon...

"What's going on?" asked Calvin, as he looked at the salon...

_**Inside The Salon...**_

Mel was sitting on the floor, with tears still streaming down her face as she looked at Sophie on the floor. She gripped her own hands together, trying to stop herself from shaking. Her body felt numb with shock and grief and she stared at the man who had just murdered her sister...

Warren looked at the girls, with the gun still in his hand...

"Warren..." said Louise, shakily. "We...need...to...get...help...for...Sophie...Let...us ...go...now..."

"NO!" barked Warren. "UNLESS YOU WANT TO END UP LIKE HER, THEN I'D SHUT UP!"

Mel stared at Sophie and looked over at her: wanting for her to wake up...

_'She can't be dead...She's my sister...She can't die...She's the strong one...Why did it have to happen?...If I hadn't let myself go, then Warren wouldn't have fired the shot...Life is not worth living without her...She meant everything to me...and that bastard had to go and do that to her...He'll pay...He will rot in hell for what he has done...Even if it means that I have to kill him...Sophie deserves justice...'_

Warren stared up at the ceiling and back at the office door...

...Waiting...

...Just waiting...

_**Outside the Salon...**_

_**Time since Capture: 6 hours, 20 minutes, 15 seconds**_

"Calvin!!" cried Tina. "Thank god you're here!"

Calvin stared at the people around the salon and then back at the people standing infront of him...

"What the hell is going on?" asked Calvin.

"Warren has gone mad!" exclaimed O.B. "He's got the girls inside the salon and is holding them hostage!!"

Calvin stared at the salon in confusion. "What?! Are you serious??"

Russ nodded. "Warren won't negotiate at all and he's threatened to kill all the girls..."

"He's got a gun!! And he had them all tied up!!" shouted Justin. "We need to get in there!!"

"Please get them out of there!" pleaded Joe.

"He's already fired shots and we think someone inside is hurt!!" added Dom.

"Woah, woah, woah...Slow down!!" said Calvin. "Warren is in there...And who else is inside there?"

"All the girls who work at the salon, so that's Louise, Marie, Mel and Sophie..." replied Tony.

"Zoe is in there too!!" shouted Joe.

"And Mercedes!" cried Tina. "Please help them!"

"Okay!" said Calvin, holding up his hands. "We all need to just calm down, while I try to talk to him..."

"That's no bloody good!" shouted Justin. "We tried doing that!"

"Just be quiet, Justin!" replied Tony, sternly.

Calvin stared at the salon and walked up to the salon, slowly, while the others stood behind him and walked up close behind him, waiting for him to do something and for them to get the girls out. They stood behind him: panicking and more worried than ever about what was about to happen...

"WARREN!" shouted Calvin. "IT'S P.C. CALVIN VALENTINE! I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY!...I WANT YOU TO PUT DOWN ALL YOUR WEAPONS AND FOR YOU TO RELEASE ALL THE GIRLS INSIDE THERE! WE ARE NOT GOING TO HURT YOU, BUT WE JUST WANT THE GIRLS BACK SAFELY!"

"NO WAY!" boomed Warren. "I'LL KILL ALL OF THE GIRLS BEFORE I LET THEM GO!"

"WARREN, I'M NOT GOING TO REPEAT MYSELF!" shouted Calvin. "IF YOU DO NOT DO AS I SAY, THEN I AM GOING TO HAVE TO CALL FOR BACK-UP!"

There was a stony silence...

"I DESERVE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE AND IF IT MEANS KILLING YOUR PRECIOUS GIRLFRIEND, THEN SO BE IT!" came Warren's voice.

Calvin got his walkie-talkie and began to talk into it:

"This is P.C. Valentine reporting, requesting urgent back-up. Hostage Situation at Evissa Salon, 21 Eastham Crescent, Hollyoaks, Chester...Possible Ambulances may be needed...5 female hostages inside...Man is armed and dangerous...I repeat, armed and dangerous!"

"What are we going to do?!" cried Tina, hysterically.

"Don't worry..." replied Calvin. "Back-up is on their way...I promise we will get them out..."

Calvin stared back at the salon and felt his heart beat faster as his fear for the girls inside grew as he worried about what might happen...

_**Inside The Salon...**_

Warren stared at the girls as the nerves began to get to him again: itching away at his insides and making him twitchy and nervous...

He felt his hands shake and he tried to control them as he kept the gun pointed at the girls. His eyes flickered towards the window and then back at the girls and his heart raced uncontrolibily as he thought of what might happen to him...

He suddenly heard distant sirens coming from outside and his nerves became out of control...He started to sweat and he looked at the room: trying to think of another plan and to try and gain control of the situation...

He stared at the office and then the gas fixture...

...Then suddenly, it clicked...

He stared at the girls and he got up from off the floor and walked towards the girls huddled on the floor, crying hysterically...

He grabbed Marie up off the floor and she screamed in sheer terror as the others stared in horror at Warren, who had a demented look in his eyes...

She struggled against him and tried to squirm out of his grip, but he forcefully hit Marie over the head with a metal bar...

"GET UP!" he shouted and he grabbed the rope again and tied Marie up. She felt woozy in the head and she could barely stand up...He dragged her along to the office as the others screamed for help...

"LET HER GO, WARREN!" cried Louise.

"STAY IN THERE!" he shouted at Marie, who was half-unconscience from the blood dripping down from her head...

He walked over to Mercedes, who squirmed backwards away from him and tried to kick him out of the way. Warren punched Mercedes in the face, which made the other girls scream and he tied her up and grabbed her arm, forcefully...

"STAY STILL, YOU WHORE!!" shouted Warren and he grabbed her and pushed her into the office...

He then grabbed Zoe by her arm and tied her up. Tears flowed down from Zoe's eyes as she dreaded to think about what might happen to her...

"STOP THIS NOW, WARREN!" screamed Louise.

He shoved Zoe into the room and then walked back over, heading straight over to Mel...

"YOU'RE NEXT!" hissed Warren.

Mel looked up at Warren and she kicked him forcefully, which made him fall to the ground. She quickly ran up to the door and began to fiddle with the table and chairs again, moving them out of the way and unlocking the many bolts and locks...

Warren groaned as he got up and watched as Mel escaped out of the room...

He grabbed Louise who also tried to make an escape and pulled her head back, making her scream...

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" barked Warren.

He shoved Louise face down on the floor and walked over to the office. He stared at the three girls and smirked bitterly at them...

"Sweet dreams..." hissed Warren and he closed the door, locking them inside.

Next to the door, was the gas meter. He grabbed the metal bar and forcefully broke the pipe which lead into the office...

Mercedes and Zoe looked at each other and looked at Marie on the floor...

Then suddenly a hissing noise of gas began to get louder...

**END OF PART TWO**

**A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner!! Please forgive me!! ALL REVIEWS WELCOME! xxx**


	23. The Long Road Back

**Chapter 22**

**The Long Road Back**

**Rating - T**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and OPs.**

**3 MONTHS LATER...**

**Marie**

_Life is a see-saw. Sometimes your up in the air and then suddenly, you can fall down just as quickly._

_With a bang so loud that it seems like you can never pick yourself up again. _

_I never really thought about bad things happening to me, but now I do. I see them everyday in the mirror._

_Imagine you are a kid and you are at the fun-fair and you are eating lots of sweets and then you go on all the rides and you feel as if you never want to go home again. You go on the Ferris wheel and you feel as though you are on top of the world. So, you eat more sweets and go on more rides and have more fun, just to keep that feeling going, because if you let it go, you can never get it back again... _

_But then your Mum tells you its time to go home and you beg and you plead with her to let you stay. _

_So she does... _

_And you keep on eating sweets and then you go on the Ferris wheel and suddenly, you feel a strange feeling in your stomach. _

_You start to get dizzy and you feel sick and the candy floss just doesn't taste the same. _

_You try and find your Mum, but you can't find her. You feel really sick now and its dark now. Then you start to cry and you just __want to go home and feel safe in your Mum's arms - for her to tell you that everything's okay and that you're safe..._

_...I'm still in the dark._

**The Valentine Household**

**12:00 pm**

Calvin walked through the door and closed it behind him. He looked around at the flat and the living area to be pleasantly surprised to see it was tidy and clean. He walked through to the kitchen to see Leo sat at the dining table, reading the newspaper and nursing a hangover. Calvin sighed and walked to the kettle to make some tea.

"Hello, son." murmured Leo, swallowing a paracetamol. "How was work? Are you on your lunch break??"

"'Yeah." nodded Calvin as he poured the milk into his mug. He turned to look at Leo. "Let me guess. Rough night?"

"Don't start." sighed Leo. "I have a headache..."

Calvin shook his head. "Story of your life"

Leo looked up at Calvin as if to say something, but instead looked at the newspaper on the table. Calvin walked over and sat down at the table and passed a steaming hot mug of tea over to Leo, while he sipped on his own mug.

"How is she?" asked Calvin, his eyes flickering to the stairs and then back at Leo.

Leo sighed and put down his newspaper. "Upstairs. Sleeping. She hasn't come down yet, poor lass."

"Should I go up and see her?" asked Calvin, sighing into his tea.

Leo shrugged and looked back at Calvin with remorse. "I don't know, son. You know what the doctor said."

Calvin shoved down his mug of tea onto the table, violently. "I know what the doctor said, but, I can't not talk to her..."

He ran his hands over his face and breathed heavily. "I...I can't just leave her up there. I mean, she won't talk...she just..."

Leo stood up from his chair and placed his hand on Calvin's shoulder. "Time. Time is the greatest healer in the world."

He walked up to the fridge and got himself a can of beer. "You can't change what happened, Calvin. No-one can. Just give her time. She just needs to find her wings again..."

Calvin looked back up at the stairs and walked over to them. He walked up the stairs, his breathing becoming more tense and heavy. He walked up to the white door staring in front of him and he placed his hand up to the door as if to knock...

But then he stopped. He started at the door again and he walked towards the bathroom instead.

He closed the door and looked into the mirror at himself. His face looked tired and weary, as if he hadn't slept in days. He turned on the cold tap and splashed some water across his face as if it would make everything alright again...

He looked at himself in the mirror again and slowly, he began to cry...

**The Student Flat**

**1:00 pm**

Kris was sat at the kitchen breakfast bar and looked at his toast vacantly. The flat was quiet and hardly anybody was in, so Kris was in on his own.

He stared at the clock on the wall and sighed. An hour till he could leave for his radio show. An hour to escape from the silence which was choking him in the flat...

The door opened and Jess walked through, along with Elliot.

"Don't say hello then." huffed Jess as she walked into the kitchen and stared at Kris. "No bitchy comment then? Nothing to say to me?"

Kris looked up at Jess and then back down at his toast. "Not exactly in the mood."

"Who knocked the stuffing out of you?" asked Jess, pouring herself a drink.

"It's been...you know..." said Elliot, glancing at Jess, hoping she'd take the hint and know the answer.

"What?" said Jess, looking at Elliot, bemused.

Elliot sighed and sat down. "Been...you know...You remember, Jess? Today??"

"Been what, Elliot? Is it some Star Trek convention day?? What?! Spit it out!" sighed Jess.

Kris stood up and looked at them both. "What he's trying to say is, its been three months since the day of the hostage-taking, so lets all tip-toe round Kris so that he doesn't get upset!... I expected more of you, Jess."

He walked out of the living area and into his room and slammed the door. Jess closed her eyes and tried to forget everything, while Elliot stared at Kris' untouched piece of toast...

"I...I totally forgot..." murmured Jess as she stared at the ground.

"I think a lot of people want to forget..." said Elliot, sympathetically.

Jess laughed, angrily. "There I go! Open my big mouth. Shows what a great friend I am..."

"Don't take it too hard upon yourself..." said Elliot and he put his arm around Jess. "I know we're not the greatest of friends, but I am here, you know. To chat."

Jess looked up at Elliot and gave him a half-smile. "Thanks."

"Are you going to see her today?" asked Elliot.

Jess wiped her sleeve over her eye and sniffed. "Yeah. I need to talk to her."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Elliot asked, looking at Jess sympathetically.

"No no. I...I need to go on my own..." nodded Jess. "Thanks, though..."

Elliot smiled at Jess and sat in Kris' seat. Kris came out of his room, with his coat on and began to walk quickly out the flat.

Jess looked over at Kris and sighed. "Kris, I'm..."

"Save it." barked Kris. "I'm off now. Don't bother waiting up for me. I'll be late back."

Jess and Elliot stared at Kris as he slammed the door.

Kris stood on the other side of the door and rested his head against the door and closed his eyes and wished that the day would end...

**Marie**

_The days are hazy. I suppose life is like that when you live in the clouds. Your vision becomes hazy. Impaired. _

_Life was better then. Than the state I'm in now..._

_Hermit crabs discard their shells to find a better one._

_I suppose I'm still looking for mine._

**2:00pm**

**A Pub In Chester**

She sat on her own at the bar and drained another vodka down as if it was water. She grimaced at the taste and wiped her mouth. She looked around her. Not many people were in the pub - only a few old men gibbering away as they drank their pints...

She stared down at her empty shotglass. _Another, _she thought. _Another to take away whatever memory she had of that day._

She looked around the bar and sighed. No-one around to serve her.

_I need that feeling. The feeling of having no sense of reality which only drink can induce._

She opened up her purse and clutched her last fiver in her hand. The coins spilled out of her purse and scattered over the counter and onto the floor.

She sighed and brushed her hair out of her face and knelt down from the bar stool and saw the tiny pennies rolling down the bar counter and land on the floor with a clink...

She knelt down and slowly she picked up the coins. Her hand became unsteady as she grabbed the pennies and she smiled to herself that finally, the drink was taking effect. She couldn't remember how long she'd been in the pub, but as most people were working, waiting for the day to end, she was in, drinking the afternoon away.

_I shouldn't be in here, _she thought to herself. _But certain times, come for certain measures...So, to hell with it. Drink is my friend...Feels good to be like this again...To forget...God knows I need to forget..._

The bartender came over and looked at her as she looked into her empty shotglass...

"Another..." she slurred and chucked the fiver onto the counter.

The bartender stared at her again. "Are you alright, love?"

"Just get me the drink..." she said, impatiently. "Please..."

The bartender shook his head and went to fill up the shotglass with vodka.

"Yeah, and I don't need your sympathy, thank-you very much!" she scoffed.

The bartender returned with the shotglass and her change and walked away from her.

She looked at the shotglass and raised it to her face. The sunlight caught the glass and added a rainbow effect over the rim of it. She stared at it, thinking about rainbows...

_Rainbows. Supposed to give you hope? What hope have I got in the world..._

She slowly sipped the vodka and let it slide down her throat. The taste was becoming less distinctive now and she swallowed down the last of it.

"Should you be drinking that much?" said a voice next to her.

"Should you poke your nose in other people's business?" she scoffed back, without even bothering to look at the person sitting next to her.

"I don't know." said the voice. "You tell me, Mel."

Mel looked over at the person sitting next to her, shocked to see him and looked down at her glass, ashamed of herself.

"Feel like talking?" asked OB

_**THREE MONTHS AGO TODAY**_

_**Evissa**_

_The last remaining firefighters came out of the building and stared at the wreckage around them. The police cars were still parked outside: the blue lights of the sirens flashing around the building, causing an eerie effect on what was the building..._

_The paramedics were closing up the ambulance doors and sighed to themselves as they drove away from the scene of the crime..._

_The police were still around the building - taking photographs and marking down bits of the road and collecting evidence..._

_By the side of Evissa, three body bags lay side-by-side, as the policeman stood around them, taking notes..._

_Most of the public had been ushered away, but one man stood away from sight at the wreckage and stared at the building..._

_No-one was to forget that day..._

_No-one._

**The Valentine Household**

Calvin finally came out of the bathroom and shut the door quietly behind him. He looked at the door next to him and slumped down against the door and sighed.

He looked up at the door, hoping it would open, but the door remained shut...

"Hello?" called Calvin. "Are you in there??"

There was no response.

"I suppose you're not up to talking, but...when you are, I'll be here for you..." sighed Calvin.

He got up off the floor and turned to walk down the stairs.

"I'll always be here for you..."

**END OF CHAPTER 22**

**A/N: I'm soo soo sorry for not updating in a v. v. long time, but I hope you liked it anyway! I will ****promise ****to write more of this story.**

**I know a lot of the characters in real-time have gone and all, but I'll try and keep it interesting. Thanks for reading xxx**


	24. Lost Pieces Of A Jigsaw

**Chapter 23**

**Lost Pieces of a Jigsaw**

**Rating - T**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and OPs**

**Marie**

_When you look in the mirror, you see your reflection. Your inner soul staring back at you._

_The person that other people see..._

_Now when I look at myself, all I see is someone else staring back at me._

_A stranger which has taken over my body and transformed itself into my image._

_And the worst thing is you can't stop what's happening... _

_You're looking through a glass plate, watching everything turn to black and you can't stop it..._

_Watching the old you slip away..._

**A Pub in Chester**

**3:00 pm**

Mel looked at OB as he stared at the bar counter, with a gloomy disposition and turned away as he caught her eye. She looked at her glass, with its last drop of vodka in it and pushed it away from her, ashamed for him to see it. They had hardly spoken to each other since the last time they had met up and she'd cut all ties with him to focus on her sobriety, but now she could feel her stomach churn away inside as he looked at her with sadness...

_I'm drunk..._ thought Mel to herself. _And now he shows up...Great..._

"So..." smiled Mel meekly, steadying herself, "Of all the pubs in Chester...and you had to come here, didn't you?"

OB nodded and fiddled with his ring on his finger. "Yeah, well...Needed someone to talk to..."

"Don't we all..." sighed Mel, trying to avoid looking into his eyes. "Fancy a drink?"

OB's eyes shifted towards Mel's empty vodka glasses. She caught his glance and she shifted herself towards the counter, so the glasses were out of his view...

"How are things?" he asked, looking up at Mel's face.

"Fabulous. Just great." said Mel, brightly, but she closed her eyes and stared down at her hands. It was no use. How could she lie to someone about feeling great when even her lies weren't convincing her?...

OB shook his head. "No, I mean how are you _really _feeling?"

Mel sighed. "I don't know..."

"So bad you decided to throw in the towel and start drinking again?" said OB, accusingly.

She slammed her hand onto the table and looked OB square in the eye. "Look, I think I have a right to have a few drinks after what I've been through, so you don't you dare judge me!" she snapped.

Mel ran her hands over her face and exhaled. Her face was hot after her outburst and she knew the drink was getting to her. _Breathe...Just breathe... _

OB turned away from Mel, to give her time to breathe. He hastily ordered a beer from the bar and quickly took it. He sipped it and looked at Mel, who had now calmed down.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you're going through a rough patch at the moment...We all are..."

Mel nodded. "I know..."

He quickly changed the subject. "How's it going with Anthony?"

She'd totally forgotten about him over the past few weeks. "Oh...him..." said Mel, unenthusiastically. "Fine. Yeah. Great." She was lying through her teeth now...

"Well, that's good to hear..." said OB, giving a small smile and he took another sip of beer.

Mel put on a false smile. "Yeah well. It's not really full-blown romantic love between us, but I wa- I mean, am happy with him. He showed me what it was like to be...normal, so to speak, again."

OB looked at his beer, sadly and began to down most of his beer. Drowning his sorrows...

"What about you?" asked Mel.

"Sorry?"

Mel looked at him, sympathetically. "You don't usually go to pubs drinking at three in the afternoon..."

"Just...a lot on my mind..." sighed OB and he quickly drank more of his beer, avoiding eye contact.

Mel looked at the empty vodka shots. She so badly needed another drink. The silence between them was becoming more awkward by the minute.

"Heard you moved back with Max then?"

OB nodded. "Yeah. He's finally seen sense. Chucked the bitch out. But lost everything because of Clare...The Loft..."

"But at least you're friends now, right? Surely that's a good thing?..." asked Mel, hopeful.

"We're getting there...It's nice being back. Seeing Tom and everything. Reminder of the good old days..." said OB, wistfully.

Mel's eye shifted to the vodka glass and she struggled to keep her mind off the drink. She tapped her hand on the bar, nervously. She looked at OB again, who was looking into his beer bottle. He looked miserable and was hardly keeping up a pretence of being happy, unlike herself...

"...You're not here because of Max, are you?" asked Mel, trying to help her old friend.

"No." answered OB, truthfully.

Mel looked down at her feet and then moved closer towards him. "What happened, OB?"

"With what?" he replied, bluntly

"You and Marie?"

OB shook his head. "I don't know what you mean..."

Mel rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, OB. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"...We're not together anymore, if that's what you mean..." OB sighed

Mel looked over at her friend. It had been months since she had last had a proper talk with him. But it was over her problems. Now he had his own and she didn't know what to say. She wasn't like...

"I'm sorry to hear that too. Can I ask why?" asked Mel, quietly. She was sobered up and now more than ever did she need a drink... It was like a big fat pink elephant in the room and only she could see it. It was like it was taunting her...Drink had destroyed her friendship with OB and yet still she wanted it...

"Because...you know...things have changed..." OB sighed and stared at the wall. He knew it was a bad idea...

"No, I can't say I know..." replied Mel, bluntly. "Look I want to help you, but I can't do that if you won't talk..."

"Mel, just drop it, okay?!" sighed OB, angrily.

Mel frowned and sighed heavily. "So that's it...It has just ended for no reason?"

"Yes..." sighed OB.

"What a load of crap!..." exclaimed Mel "So, you've just given up then?"

"I...I haven't given up on her!" protested OB.

"Then why are you with someone else?" asked Mel.

OB looked at Mel and his eyes slowly drifted away back down. "I'm..."

Mel sighed. "There's no use arguing. I saw you. With another girl. Brunette, doe-eyed..."

"I'm allowed to speak to other girls without being accused of having an affair, can't I?" barked OB, back. This was too much like the past. A normal conversation would turn into an argument and then one of them would walk out...

"She looked like more than a friend to me..." accused Mel, trying to catch his eyes.

"She...she's just...I don't know..." sighed OB

"So you're cheating on her??" exclaimed Mel, her tone of voice getting higher.

"No..." dismissed OB.

"But you just admitted it!!" cried Mel.

"No I'm not having an affair!" said OB, with a raised voice.

"Is it because of what happened? At Evissa??" probed Mel. She knew he was here because of it. Same reason she was too.

OB looked into his empty beer glass and sighed. "A lot of things changed that day."

Mel looked away, trying not to cry. "I know that...but, you don't just end a relationship without a good reason..."

"She...Marie...she's different..." mumbled OB.

"How do you mean?" asked Mel.

OB didn't respond. He looked down at the floor, his face numb with expression. Mel moved closer to him and looked at him. He was lost in his own private thoughts.

Mel sighed and she caught the bartender and asked for a large vodka. She took the tumbler away from the bartender and began to drink it down. She needed the haziness just to survive the silence between them. She wiped her mouth and she could feel OB looking at her. She turned to face him, but he looked away.

"Come on, OB? How is she different?" sighed Mel.

OB looked at his hands bitterly and then turned away. "She...can't remember me..."

**Calvin**

Calvin was back from the shop and closed the door. Silence. As usual. Before, it used to be full of people and noise, but now, he felt alone in the room.

He dragged the shopping in and placed it on the floor of the kitchen. He began unpacking the contents of the shopping and placing them in the cupboards. But suddenly, he heard a bang from upstairs. He stopped and listened. He could hear someone's footsteps go into the bathroom and he heard the door of the bathroom close...

He took out a tray from under the sink and began to fill a glass of water. He placed it on the tray and got out a salad and placed it into a bowl and put that on the tray. He listened out again and he heard the bathroom door close again and someone pad back to their room.

He sighed and looked at the tray and picked it up and began to walk up towards the step of the stairs. He hesitated and looked up at them again. He crept up the stairs slowly and walked up them, without looking back. He looked up and saw the white door in front of him. He crept up in and looked at the gold handle in front of him. He put down the tray and let his fingers glide over the door handle: feeling the eerie coldness of the handle...

He knocked on the door gently. "Marie? It's me...Calvin..."

He waited for an answer. Usually, she wouldn't answer. He heard her walk across the room.

"Are you hungry?" asked Calvin "I brought you some chicken strips in a nice healthy salad...All hand-prepared by me...And Mr. Marks and Mr. Spencer..."

The door opened partially and Marie showed her face. Calvin looked at her and he gave her a small smile. She looked back at him with her blue eyes. He looked at her. Her eyes had lost their sparkle to them, but nether less, they were still the same. She looked paler than she did when he last saw her and she looked tired under her eyes, as if she didn't sleep. Dressed in an old tracksuit, her hair was put back in a neat ponytail, but he could see on the side of head the red angry stitches clearly. She looked at him and then she looked at the tray and she opened the door wider and he walked in.

Her room was tidy and clean and didn't look like she even lived in it. A pile of her clothes were folded neatly on the chair and the bed was made. The TV in the corner of the room was silent and he looked over on her dressing table to see it was also tidy. The curtains were still drawn in her room, making the room dark, but sunlight was creeping thought, illuminating her bed. She sat down on her bed in front of the window, without saying a word. Calvin placed the tray on her dressing table and sat down next to her. She shifted a little away from him, but didn't flinch as he sat down. He turned to look at her. All he could see was the long line of stitching across the side of her head, where her hair was pulled back - a permanent reminder of what happened.

His eyes flickered to her bedside table. The lamp was on, burning brightly in the corner. On the table, he saw two bottles of pills. He looked away and his eyes shifted to the floor. Just beside the bed, he could see an empty vodka bottle. _Where has she got that from?_

He turned to face her. She was still looking out of the window.

"You look...better...Are you feeling any better?" asked Calvin

Marie didn't answer and looked down at her lap.

Calvin looked at the medicine bottles again. "How are the pills going? Do they help?"

She looked over to where he was looking and she looked away again.

Calvin sighed. "Marie? Please talk to me...You haven't said a word since you came back from hospital..."

Marie looked out of the window and into the sun. The streams of sunlight reflected on her face and she closed her eyes. "Empty..."

Calvin looked at Marie, surprised to hear her speak again. "Sorry?"

"You asked me how I feel. I feel empty." she said, looking out into the distance.

Calvin moved closer towards Marie. "That's understandable..."

"But I just...want to be me again..." sighed Marie, turning towards Calvin.

"You will be..." said Calvin, looking into

"How do you know?" asked Marie,

"Because I just know it will..." said Calvin, looking into Marie's eyes.

He moved his hand towards hers and he gently touched her hand. Marie flinched and she moved her hand away.

"I...can't remember things..." whispered Marie, with sadness.

"It will come back to you..." said Calvin.

"Will it?" asked Marie, looking straight into Calvin's eyes, with desperation.

Calvin shook his head. "I don't know...but you know that I'm here, right?"

Marie nodded and Calvin smiled at her. He brought her in his arms and he hugged her tightly. Marie felt tense at first, but slowly she relaxed into his hug.

She rested her head on his shoulder and he breathed in her scent. She'd lost a lot of weight, Calvin noticed as he hugged her and he could feel every bone in her body. He held onto her even tighter, as if she was made of sunlight. Marie pulled away and she gave Calvin a small smile. The first time she'd smiled in months...

"I'm cooking dinner tonight..." said Calvin. "You're welcome to come down and join us..."

Marie looked down at her hands and sighed.

"Or not...if you don't want to..." suggested Calvin. "It's your choice..."

Marie nodded. "I'll think about it..."

"That's fine, you know..." nodded Calvin. "It would be nice to see you downstairs. I know Dad and Sasha have been asking after you..."

Marie nodded again and she rested her head on Calvin's shoulder and watched as the sun began to fade away into the distance...

**Louise**

"So, Louise...How are you feeling today?"

Louise was staring out of the window of the dim-lit room, her mind wandering into the distance and away from her body. The trees outside stood still and the wind

was rustling through the leaves and drifting away. She wasn't listening to what he was saying. She felt as if she was a ghost, looking down from the ceiling and watching herself sit on the brown leather sofa, looking gormless out of the window...

"Louise?"

She turned her head away from the window and stared at the man sat in the desk in front of her. She stared at him. He looked like a typical therapist. Glasses. Wrinkled face. Greying hair. Name badge. She glared at him. He wasn't really interested in how she was feeling. He was more interested in the big fat cheque he was getting off her father to hear her complain about how miserable she felt. He was poised with a pen and notebook, ready to jot down all sorts about her and stuff it into one of his many filing cabinets. Her eyes flickered to the fish tank beside the desk. The room was filled with dark paintings that just looked like someone had thrown paint on them. Typical. She turned her head towards him again.

"What do you think?" she sighed, looking away again.

"I don't know. I'm here to listen to hear your thoughts."

Louise felt like rolling her eyes. More like _paid _to hear her thoughts. She looked to the side of her. There was a massive mirror covering one side of the wall. She wondered if there were people behind it...Doctors tutting over the girl who wasn't playing ball...

She rubbed her eyes wearily and looked at her hands. No use in pretending she was happy. She knew it. He knew it. She was depressed...

"Guilty, I guess." murmured Louise. She daren't look him in the eye now. She was opening up and for her, it was the hardest thing in the world.

The therapist nodded and rubbed his fingers around his 'invisible' beard. "Because of what happened?"

Louise felt like rolling her eyes yet again. _'No shit, Sherlock...' _

"Because of what Warren did?" he probed.

Louise nodded and sighed, fiddling with her hair. This was harder than she thought. She'd bluffed her way through the rest of the sessions, but now, he was hitting was raw nerve. He'd probably seen it all. She was just a 'Poor Little Rich Girl', blubbing into her water, about how she never felt loved...

He began to write in his notebook. The pen scratching against the paper. "How do you feel about Warren?"

Louise bit her lip. "It's...complicated..."

He wrote down some more notes. _Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. _"Complicated as in, you had feelings for him?"

She felt as if the room was closing in on her, ready to swallow her up into the ground. "Very long time ago..."

"Did you develop romantic feelings for him? Feelings of affection??" he probed.

Louise thought of him as a vampire. He was hurting her with his questions, but still he wanted more blood...

Louise closed her eyes and felt like crawling into a small box. "I don't really know how I feel about him, okay, so can we please just change the subject, please?"

_Scratch. Scratch. Scratch _went the pen as he began to write more notes. She felt like stabbing him with the pen...

"Did you ever feel -"

"I SAID CAN WE CHANGE THE SUBJECT!!" cried Louise, almost on the brink of tears. She didn't know whether to scream or shout. But she wouldn't cry. Crying infront of him would be the lowest of lows...

He looked over at her, shook his head and wrote down more notes. "Okay, Louise. Are you still having regular nightmares about what happened?"

Same subject, different format, thought Louise. "Every night."

The therapist nodded and leant over the desk and looked Louise square in the eye. "Tell me about the dreams. Are they always the same?"

The dreams were the worst. It was like reliving every moment on CCTV on a repetitive loop, which had no stop button. Every night she would wake up in a cold sweat and would tell herself that it was just a dream. Except it wasn't. It did happen. But every night, it would be different. Another monster in the dark. Her scars from what happened could heal, but the memories couldn't...

She shook her head. "No. I had a dream that...This is stupid..."

"Take your time..." he nodded again.

Louise fiddled with her hair even more. "I had a dream that...Warren...he was outside a window...just staring in the rain...But I couldn't touch him...I couldn't go outside and see him...It was like a barrier between us...But he wasn't angry...just sad...And instead of hating him, I just wanted to go out and see him...I've been so angry at him for so long...but now...I don't know...I don't know what I feel anymore...Everyone blames me though...They don't say it though, but I know they do from the looks that they give me...As if it were all my fault...And I suppose in a way, it is...If it wasn't for me, then Warren wouldn't have done what he did..."

And that was it. Bam. She'd admitted how she felt. And now she felt like crying with relief...Like one of those sad people in a bad soap opera.

She reached out for the Kleenex on the desk and wiped her eyes. She'd lost everything. Her husband. Her business. Friends. And now she felt as if her dignity was slowly slipping away from her. She couldn't be proud anymore...

He stared back at her, sympathetically. "We cannot change things that have not been in our control."

She was sobbing now, salty tears running down her cheeks. "Yeah I know that, but maybe if I knew Warren was gonna do this then maybe I could have stopped it. You know...helped him..."

The therapist handed her another tissue. "It may sound easy to make someone change, but its not as easy as it seems...You were not to know what happened that day, Louise..."

"But it all happened because of me! Because I did not sign that damn salon over..." cried Louise.

"It happened, Louise and I know this isn't easy, but now you're coming to terms with it, it will be easier for you to move on from what happened..." he said, philosophically.

Louise looked up at him, with her eyes weary. "But its not that simple. He is still out there..."

**OB and Mel**

Mel looked down at her empty tumbler glass and then back at OB. She had no idea what to say. She looked around. It looked like they were the only two people in the bar and the sun hadn't even set yet. OB was quiet. He'd just admitted what had been troubling him and now, he wasn't saying a word. Mel just wanted to be on her own with her vodka, but she knew she couldn't leave OB alone in a state. He looked a mess and he ran his hands through his hair. She looked over at him again. What could she say to make it all better?

"How?..." murmured Mel.

OB exhaled and looked over to Mel. "The blow to her head...Doctor said it caused some memory loss. Like a grey area. She can't remember anything about us. Her doctor said that they don't know whether it will be just temporary or permanent..."

"I'm so sorry, OB..." sighed Mel and she looked at OB, sympathetically.

OB wiped his eyes. "I've tried, you know...Tried talking to her, but she just doesn't want to talk. She doesn't want to see anyone. It's hard, you know..."

"Have you spoken to her recently?" asked Mel, sympathetically.

OB shook his head. "No. I don't know what to do..."

"You can't just give up on her..." said Mel, disapprovingly.

OB sighed. "Why not?"

"Because that makes you look like a cold bastard. And you're not." replied Mel, compassionately

"I can't force her to remember me! I can't force her back into a relationship which she has no recollection of!" said OB, disheartened.

"But you could try..." suggested Mel

OB shook her head. "I've done all I can..."

"I don't believe you!" exclaimed Mel, "Don't give up this easily!...Don't abandon her like you did me..."

OB looked at Mel stunned. "What?!"

Mel began to stammer. "What I mean is, don't just write it off completely..."

OB looked at Mel angrily. He couldn't believe what he was hearing...

"I...I can't believe I'm hearing this! I did not abandon you! You stopped all contact because of your drinking, but it obviously hasn't done much good,

seeing as you're back drinking again!!"

Mel put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She wished she hadn't said anything...

"Let's not get into that now. Its in the past...Do you still love her??"

"I've had enough. I'm going..." said OB, shaking his head. He put on his jacket and headed for the door, without looking Mel in the eye.

"You can walk away from me because you know you can, but what if Marie one day remembers everything?" asked Mel.

OB stopped in his tracks and turned to face Mel.

"How she feels about you and what you had and wants to be with you but then suddenly finds out that you've left her for some second-rate girl without even telling her?? You must have loved her enough if you were about to move into a flat with her...Just think about it...For me?" said Mel, staring straight at OB.

He looked back at her for a moment and he walked up to her. Mel half-expected him to yell at her and call her all sorts of names under the sun, but instead he reached into his pocket and he pressed a ten pound note into her hand.

"Go home, Mel..." sighed OB and with that, he headed for the door again, leaving Mel alone at the bar...

Mel looked at the empty bar stool where OB had sat and she looked at her empty vodka glass. How could it have gone so wrong?

She stared at the tenner in her hand and felt like she wanted to cry. If she couldn't even help someone else, then how could she help herself??

She got up off the barstool and walked outside into the cold. She shivered in the cold winter air and headed to the phonebox. She closed the door and looked at the adverts in front of her. Most of them were for strippers, but finally, she found the number for the taxi rank.

She lifted the receiver and was about to put the coins in to make the call until she looked at the tenner again.

She got out of the phonebox and walked back into the warm pub and headed back for the same bar stool.

"Another vodka. Large." sighed Mel and she handed over the same ten pound note to the bartender...

_'What's the use in money to go home with when I have no home?'..._

**Marie**

It was dark now and Marie was sat in her room, contemplating whether or not to go downstairs for dinner. She was sat at her dressing table looking into her mirror. Her hair was down past her shoulders and she stared at her face in the mirror. She had changed out of her tracksuit and into a blue smock top and her old pair of jeans, which used to be a nice fit, now had to be kept up with a belt. She sighed as she looked at the black bags under her eyes and she began to dab some concealer on them. She looked at her hair and she gathered it up, but stopped when she saw the scar on the side of her head...

Angrily, she let go of her hair and furiously began to cover the red whelt with her hair.

_'This is hopeless. I can't go downstairs...I'm a freak...I can't remember the last time I even saw Sasha or Leo... They don't want a crying mess at the table because I have the scar the size of the River Thames across the side of my head...And I can't even remember how I got it...'_

She curled up her arms onto the dressing table and buried her head and felt like crying. She'd cried for so long now that, it was as if she'd run out of tears. She looked out infront of her. Her mobile was sitting infront of her, which had been switched off since before the incident at Evissa. She picked it up and studied it. It looked unfamiliar to her, as if she'd never seen it before in her life. Curious, she switched it on and it came to life. It listed lots of missed calls and texts unread, but instead, she looked at the photos. Happy pictures of her with various people. Some she recognised, like pictures of her and Calvin, her and her sister, but others she stared at and struggled to remember. She scrolled through them until she got to a photo of her smiling with another man. He had his arm around her and they both looked happy. Marie stared at it and tried desperately to remember who he was. She scrolled through and there were more photos of the same man, but still, nothing came to her...

Upset, she tossed the phone down onto the floor and got up from the dressing table and flung herself down onto her bed.

_'Why can't I remember?...'_

She looked up at herself in the mirror and sighed.

_'It's no use. Me up here, wallowing in self-pity...I've got to face the world sometime...'_

She got up and started to walk out towards her bedroom door. She opened up the door and looked around the landing and out onto the stairs in front of her.

She slowly walked down and reached for the banister and slowly began to walk down the steps. She looked around the living room and heard music coming from the CD player. She reached the last step and peered round and heard someone moving in the kitchen. She saw that the table had been laid with four places and there was the faint scent of something cooking in the oven...

Then, she saw Calvin, pottering around the kitchen, chopping vegetables and desperately trying to sort out an overflowing saucepan of water...

"Nice apron..."

Calvin turned around and smiled as he saw Marie looking at him and his pink apron.

"Well, apparently I suit pink..." said Calvin, giving off a small laugh. "You look..."

"Hideous..." sighed Marie.

"No, lovely..." smiled Calvin, "It's great to see you..."

"Out of a tracksuit, yeah..." nodded Marie. "What are you cooking?"

Calvin looked round at the saucepan. "Oh, just something out of a book...A chicken pie of some sorts, but it looks more like congealed gunge.."

Marie peered over to the oven. "It can't be that bad..."

"I'm no Delia Smith at food presentation, but hopefully, it will taste nice..." said Calvin, "Why don't you sit down?"

Marie walked over to the table and pulled up a chair. She sat down and looked around the kitchen and living area. It looked vaguely familiar to her, but still, she couldn't place it...

She looked over

"So, where's Sasha and Leo?" asked Marie.

"Oh, well, Sasha said she had to study for a while at a friend's, while Dad is...I don't know where. Betting shop, maybe. So, at the moment, it looks like it might be just you and me..." said Calvin, "If that's okay with you..."

"No, that's fine..." Marie mumbled while playing with her hands.

Calvin held up two wine glasses. "Would you like a drink?"

Marie stared at the glasses and hesitated. "Umm...yeah. I will..."

He began to pour the drinks and he handed the glass over to Marie. "Thanks..." she smiled.

"Have you got anything planned for tomorrow?" asked Calvin, as he sat down on a chair next to her.

"Err...I can't say I have no..." said Marie, shaking her head. "I...might see if I can find a job somewhere..."

Calvin stared back at Marie, surprised. "Are you sure you're ready? Isn't it a bit premature yet to go out looking for jobs??"

"Well...I just want to get out of the house for a bit, you know...I feel like a burden being cooped up in my room all the time..." sighed Marie.

"I suppose it won't hurt to look around for one, but as long as you're ready..." nodded Calvin, "And you're not a burden. You can stay as long as you want to..."

"Don't apologise. It's not your fault..." said Calvin, and he moved his hand over to her hand and he looked into Marie's eyes.

Marie looked back at Calvin only for a second and she looked away again. She looked over at the oven. "Is something burning?"

Calvin looked over to the oven and cursed and ran towards it to retrieve the dinner from black smoky oven. He coughed as he brought out the dish and put it own heavily onto the counter. Marie looked over at her drink and sipped it. She felt uneasy and hoped the drink would help calm her nerves...

He came back to the table with the dinner and placed it on the table. He took Marie's plate and served up the food.

"Here you go..." said Calvin, proud of his work. "I hope it's not burnt..."

"Thanks..." smiled Marie, surveying the dinner. "It looks delicious..."

Calvin began to eat his dinner, hungrily, while Marie looked at the dinner on her plate and slowly began to eat a spoonful of the food.

She slowly chewed on the food and watched as Calvin practically wolfed down his dinner. There was an uneasy silence between the two of them and Marie swallowed the food, feeling it slide heavily down her throat. It had been ages since she wanted to eat, but her appetite had still not returned...

She felt like she and Calvin were strangers, not friends...

"How's work?" asked Marie, hoping to cease the silence.

Calvin swallowed his mouthful. "Oh, yeah, great...I'm aiming to take the exam to become Sergeant in the spring..."

"Really?" smiled Marie, "That's great!"

Calvin smiled back. "Thanks. I just hope I get it..."

Marie took her fork and began to poke her dinner about. Calvin stared at her as she did so.

"Is the food okay for you?" asked Calvin.

Marie looked up and back down at her plate, embarrassed. "Oh, yeah, it's lovely..."

Calvin laughed. "You don't have to eat it for my benefit, you know..."

Marie sighed. "I'm sorry. I feel bad now. It's just...I'm not really that hungry..."

"That's fine, honestly..." said Calvin, sympathetically.

"So...ummm...have you got a girlfriend?" asked Marie, stammering, "I can't remember if you had one, or if you have one or not...I can't remember who she is..."

Calvin looked uneasy. "Erm, no. I don't. I mean, there is no-one..."

Marie nodded. "Oh...Well, that's hard to believe. I mean, someone as nice as you not having a girlfriend...You should be out, with some nice big-chested blonde enjoying life instead of being stuck here, with silly old me..."

Calvin shook his head and smiled. "You make it sound like a chore...being with you..."

"Yeah well, it feels a chore to be me at the moment..." said Marie, sadly. "Just to get through the day with a smile...Trying to remember things I've forgotten. Unsuccessfully. It's funny how you remember the shit things in your life, but forget the really poignant moments...Or maybe that's just me...And to go without crying for one day is a good achievement as well..."

"I can't imagine what it's like it..." remarked Calvin

Marie looked at her glass sadly. "It's like you're drowning and people can see you, but instead, they think you're waving..."

Calvin looked at Marie, confused. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way round?"

"Sorry?" frowned Marie

"Waving, not drowning..." said Calvin

"It should be. But it's not." said Marie, gloomily.

"You will get through it, you know. It may look impossible from being at the bottom looking up, but I will help you and you can get back to normal." smiled Calvin.

"Thank-you, Calvin..." smiled Marie.

She got up from her chair and walked over to Calvin. He looked back at her and she bent over towards him and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're a really good friend to me." said Marie, happily.

Calvin looked at her, trying to hide his disappointment

"I'll help clear up..." said Marie, gathering up the plates.

Calvin got up and stopped her. "No no...You sit down and rest..."

"I'm not disabled, Calvin. I can do things by myself you know..." said Marie, defensive.

"I know that. But I also think that it's stereotypical for women to do the dishes..." laughed Calvin.

Marie frowned and smiled and took the plates to the sink. "That's not normal bloke-thinking..."

"Well, I guess I'm not a normal bloke then..." smirked Calvin.

He loaded up the plates on the side of the sink and began to fill the sink with soapy water. He turned to Marie and smiled.

"See? Old you coming back again..." he grinned.

Marie looked over at Calvin and her eyes flickered towards the stairs. "Listen, I'll think I'll head up to my room now..."

"Why don't you stay down here?..." suggested Calvin. "Watch a DVD or something...How about it?"

She looked over at the sofa and smiled. "Why not?"

Calvin smiled. "Great..."

"I have some DVDs in my room...which I either haven't watched...or forgotten..." said Marie, "I could go and get them, if you want..."

Calvin nodded. "Sounds great. I'll get the DVD player set up..."

Marie walked up and climbed the stairs up to her room. She opened the door to her room and was about to go and fetch the DVDs, until she trod on something on the floor. She looked down and saw it was her phone. She picked it up and saw the same photo of her and the same man she'd seen earlier. She sighed and stared at the photo. She wanted to find out who he was, but knew that it would take some time before she could remember.

She shut the phone and placed it back on the dressing table.

_'Soon...I'll remember soon...'_

**Chester Infirmary**

She lay in her bed, still and motionless. Her blonde hair was tucked back away from her face and her eyes were shut. She looked peaceful and all that could be heard in the room was the sound of her support machines beeping. Flowers surrounded her bedside and get well cards stood around the windowsill. Her face still had some cuts and bruises still visible from what happened. Tubes were coming out of her body in various places. Every so often, you could see her chest rise and fall as she breathed on her own...

The door to her room opened and the woman walked in quietly. She stared at her in the bed and looked tearful. She had some flowers in her hand and she pulled up a chair next to the bed and stared at the once lively girl, lying flat in a cold metal bed...

"Hello, Sophie..." whispered Mel

**End of Chapter**

**A/N: Hi, sorry its taken me ages to update, but I decided to write a longer chapter than the one before, but hope you enjoyed it and thank you for everyone's continued patience and support xxx**


	25. No Man's Land

**Chapter 24**

**No Man's Land**

**Rating - T**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and OPs**

**Marie**

Marie was sat at the table in the living area, looking at the cereal bowl placed in front of her. She stared at the bowl, trying to keep her eyes open from the disturbed night's sleep that she had the night before. She'd had another nightmare, disturbing her sleep and making her feel lousy. She could feel how heavy her eyes felt due to lack of sleep and she carelessly moved a strand of hair away from her face. She wearily took a spoonful of cereal and shoveled it into her mouth, chewing on it aimlessly...

"Marie?"

Marie looked up and saw Calvin standing above her, dressed for work in his uniform. She rubbed her eyes and smiled at him.

"How are you feeling today?" asked Calvin, "You look great!"

Marie looked down at herself and laughed. "Do I?"

"Much better. Less pale too..." noted Calvin, as he put his shoes on.

"Oh, thanks!" retorted Marie. "When they were handing out tips on how to give compliments, you must have been last in the line..."

"So, what you planning on doing today?" said Calvin, walking over to the kitchen table and reaching for a knife, as he began to butter a piece of toast.

Marie put down her spoon and let it clatter into the bowl. "Well, I was thinking of going out for a walk or something..."

Calvin stared back at her as he was about to put the toast in his mouth and gave her a worried glance. Marie rolled her eyes and pushed her chair out and stood up away from the table and sighed, as she sipped on a glass of water.

"Don't worry. I'll be just in the village. I'm not planning on topping myself." sighed Marie.

"No no, it's just, you'll be on your own. Are you sure you'll be alright with that?" said Calvin, concerned. "I can meet up with you later, you know..."

"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay..." smiled Marie.

Calvin nodded. "If you need me though, you know my number..."

"Calvin, you don't need to worry. I'm fine..." said Marie, putting on a reassuring smile.

"Good. Right, then I'll be off..." said Calvin nodding again, putting on his jacket.

Marie took out her phone from her jeans pocket and she began to read through a new text message. "I'm not very good with this phone at all..."

Calvin looked up and peered over at the phone. "Oh, that's because I replaced it for you..."

Marie looked at the phone, puzzled. "But I thought this was the phone I've always had..."

Calvin sighed. "No. It's still your SIM card, but I had to get you another handset because your other phone got...destroyed..."

Marie looked back at her phone. "Oh right..." she said, not knowing fully what Calvin meant.

She looked at her phone and she tabbed up the photo she'd been pondering over for a few days. She looked at the picture and then turned her head and looked over at Calvin, who looked poised, ready for the door. He smiled at her and looked at her with a quizzing look...

"You alright?" smiled Calvin.

Marie looked back at the picture. _'Calvin will know who he is...'_

She held up her phone to Calvin and he walked over to her. "Do you know who this guy is? In the picture next to me? I don't recognise him, which is strange because he's in a lot of the pictures..."

Calvin stared at the picture and his smile slipped away from his face. His eyes were intense as he took the phone away from her hand and glanced at the photo. He closed the phone and handed back to Marie, without looking into her eyes.

"Just someone you met. His name...it's just...gone out of my head", said Calvin, putting on a smile.

"A friend then?" asked Marie, putting the phone back in her jeans pocket.

"Yeah..." said Calvin, taking a slight pause. "Just a friend..."

Marie nodded. "Oh I see...So, I wasn't sorta seeing anyone then before...you-know. I didn't date anyone, did I? 'Cause I keep getting this funny feeling that..."

"No." replied Calvin, bluntly. "No, you weren't seeing anyone before your bump on your head..."

Marie instinctively ran her fingers through her hair at the side of her head and touched the raised scar.

"I'm off now, but please call if you need anything..." said Calvin, heading for the door.

"Calvin, please just go to work..." said Marie, rolling her eyes.

Calvin grinned and headed out the door, locking the door with his key. Marie listened as she heard Calvin's footsteps fade away into the distance as he walked down the stairs. She looked over at the table and began to clear away the clutter and take it back over to the sink, where she stared at the window, looking at Hollyoaks in the distance as the water began to pour into the sink and as the new day began...

**Sophie**

Mel sat motionless as she watched Sophie in her hospital bed. The room was deathly quiet except for the sound of the life-support machines whirring in the background. She looked at Sophie's hand and she gently touched it, hoping that her touch would wake her up. She could feel the IV needle in Sophie's hand sticking out. She looked at Sophie. Not a flinch. Her eyes were still shut - her face peaceful. She had a bandage wrapped around her head from where she had been shot. She was lucky to be alive, the doctors had said, but she was in a coma. And three months on, she still hadn't woken up...

Mel could feel the tears stinging in her eyes and she felt hungover and sick. She had visited Sophie the night before in hospital, but couldn't remember any of it.

She stood up and looked at the many bouquets of flowers in the room - a lot of them from people she didn't know. She would visit Sophie every day in hope that she could see her would wake up, but still nothing much happened. One day when she visited, Sophie's fingers moved when she heard Mel's voice and from that day on, Mel knew that she knew that Sophie was still alive and that one day she would wake up...

The hospital room felt cold and isolated and Mel felt even more alone. She sat back down in her seat and she took Sophie's hand in hers again.

"Hello..." said Mel, tearfully. "You look better today. You look like you've got a bit of colour in your cheeks..."

She reached down into her coat pocket and produced a small blue teddybear, with a bandage over it's eye and holding a heart saying 'Get Well Soon'.

"I bought you a teddy..." smiled Mel, showing Sophie the teddy. "Thought it would look nice in the room, you know..."

She placed the teddy next to Sophie on the bedside table, next to a jug of water. She looked over at Sophie again and sighed, brushing her brunette hair out of her eyes.

"I did it again, Soph..." sighed Mel. "I got drunk... again. I...I know I shouldn't have and I know you'd be doing your face which you do whenever I told you I'd been drinking...but...it's hard, you know. And plus, I got kicked out of the bar I went to. I even used a tenner for a taxi to buy booze instead...And you know the weirdest thing is? It didn't make me feel any better. None of it. Even when I was drinking it, I felt sick. But I drank it anyway, which was...stupid. And OB caught me to top it all off. So, everyone thinks I'm an wino again...but I swear, Soph, when you wake up, I'm checking myself into rehab. It's the only way, but I'd do it for you, you know..."

Mel felt tears rolling down her cheeks. "Sophie...Please answer me..."

The door to her room opened and Mel quickly turned her head. Justin stood at the door, with a black coat on and with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"Justin..." murmured Mel and she quickly ran over to him and fell into his arms.

Justin wrapped his arms around Mel and she buried her head into his neck and began to sob into his coat.

"It's alright, Mel..." soothed Justin and he held her closer. "How have you been?"

Mel looked at him and she shook her head. "You?"

"Pretty much the same." sighed Justin. He looked tired and worn out. His face was unshaven and his blonde hair was all messed up. He looked over at Sophie and he turned his head away quickly, in fear of crying. He looked back at Mel.

"How's she been?" asked Justin, clutching onto the flowers in his hand.

"No change..." said Mel, wiping her eyes and exhaling. "Haven't spoken to any doctors at all in the past week..."

Justin looked down at the flowers he'd bought and then at the sea of flowers all in vases on the windowsill.

He held up the flowers. "I bought these...but I guess I've bought her a lot already..."

Mel smiled at the flowers. "No. She will love these, thank-you..."

He walked over to Sophie's bedside and he moved a strand of hair out of Sophie's face and tucked it behind her ear, tenderly. Mel walked over to the window and she placed the flowers down lovingly next to the others.

"Where have you been staying?" asked Mel, turning to face Justin.

"Sonny's, but I think I've outstayed their welcome..." said Justin, pulling up a chair. "How about you?"

Mel looked down at her feet. "Louise is selling her flat, so I've got to find a new place."

Mel sat down next to Justin on a chair and she gave him a sad smile and they both turned to look at Sophie.

Justin turned to face Mel. "Mum rang earlier."

Mel looked at Justin and nodded. Liz had been visiting every weekend since Sophie had been in hospital. "What's Mum said?"

"She's packed in her job and she's coming back from Colchester for good." said Justin, glancing up at Mel. "She's sorting out a place for us all to live. Her friend is letting us have his flat near the town centre. I'm meeting her at the station at six, this evening."

Mel nodded, pleased at the news. "I'll meet you there, if you like. You know...greet Mum and that..."

Justin gave his sister a brief nod and he retreated back to looking at Sophie.

"How's Becca?" asked Mel, trying to ease the silence.

Justin sighed and he looked crestfallen. "Fine. I saw her earlier. She looked well. She was pushing Charlie in his pram..."

"And Charlie?"

"He looked good too. Looked bigger." said Justin, smiling sadly.

"Has she let you see him properly yet?" asked Mel, attentive.

"No." sighed Justin, his tone somber.

He looked over at the flowers which Mel had left on the windowsill. "I think I'll go and ask for another vase off a nurse..."

Mel nodded. "Okay. See if you can track down Sophie's doctor as well. See if we can get an update of Sophie's progress..."

Justin nodded and he walked out of the door, with flowers in tow.

Mel stood up and she walked over back to the flowers. She breathed in the floral atmosphere and felt herself relax. The flowers were comforting, like a baby blanket. She looked down at the cards people had written. Tony had sent a massive bouquet of expensive white organza lilies, while the students had clubbed together and bought Sophie a bunnyrabbit and a bouquet of daffodils and tulips. Marie had sent flowers through to Sophie and to Mel herself. Even Max and OB had sent some flowers and a card too. She looked down at the last bunch of the flowers. They were the smallest bunch of carnations and Mel had to delve right into the flowers just to find the card. She looked at the scrawny handwriting. Russ had sent them. She sighed. She hadn't seen Russ visit Sophie. ''_He must have deliberately visited when she was out_...'' thought Mel, angered.

The door opened again and Justin came back into the room, with the flowers in a fresh vase, his face forlorn. Mel looked up at him and frowned, worried.

"Justin, what's wrong? Did you speak to someone??" asked Mel, frantic.

Justin closed his eyes. "I spoke to Sophie's doctor."

Mel felt her heart skip a beat. "What did he say??"

Justin felt the tears brimming in his eyes. "He said...He's given us a deadline..."

"What...what deadline?" pleaded Mel, feeling her throat close up.

"A deadline...to turn...to turn off Sophie's...machines..." croaked Justin, his eyes streaming.

Mel felt like the room was spinning. She could feel the lump in her throat grow bigger and she felt breathless. The sick feeling in her stomach was rising and she could almost taste the bile rising up to her throat...

"No..." cried Mel, almost on the verge of whispering. Justin walked up to her as she felt her knees collapse.

Justin held his sister in his arms. "Mel, you've got to understand...Sophie...she won't be the same..."

"They removed the bullet, didn't they?" whimpered Mel, unable to control herself.

"Yeah, but...they said it's caused damage. To her brain" stammered Justin

Mel looked over at Sophie, frantic and disillusioned. "But she can still live a normal life. People with brain damages still live normal lives, Justin. And she'll wake up and she'll get better…."

"We can't keep Sophie alive with machines forever." pleaded Justin, "She's dying, Mel. Every day, she's deteriorating. That's what the doctor said. There's little chance of her waking up..."

"But, we can't give up on her! She's our sister! We can't kill our sister!!" cried Mel, holding Justin and trying to reason with him with her eyes.

"I know..." said Justin, grief-stricken.

"So, we'll keep her on the machines..." said Mel, nodding.

Justin looked back at his sister, heart-rendered. "But Mel..."

"WE ARE NOT TURNING HER MACHINES OFF, OKAY?!" exclaimed Mel, angrily.

She walked over to Sophie's side and collapsed to her knees and began to cry, as she looked up at her twin sister, whether there was any hope left for them in the world…

**Marie**

Marie put her white hat and gloves on as she prepared to brace the cold spring-like air outside of the flat. She flicked her hair, which had gone wavy out of the collar of her red coat and she smoothed down the edges of her coat as she did the buttons up over her red-checked top and navy blue denim skirt. She checked her reflection in the mirror and she moved a strand of hair out of her eyes and pushed it to the side of her face, covering her scar. She looked around the room before walking straight towards the door. It would be one of her first outings out of the flat and Marie felt her eyes looks involuntarily up the stairs as part of her longed to go back upstairs and hide away in her room...

She shook her head and she shakily exhaled as she opened up the blue front door and out into the open. The sun was beginning to break through the clouds, illuminating the village. She looked out and she took a step out of the door and she closed it behind her. She shivered as she felt the cold chill of the wind hit her back and she felt her body clench. Slowly, she began to tread down the stone steps carefully and she looked at the sights around her. She saw The Loft staring back at her and she could see the other shops coming into view and she took each step at a time.

_'You can do this. Show people that you are still alive. Try and be normal. If you're normal, then other people will act normal. That's what that stupid head injury leaflet said anyway...' _thought Marie, breathing in and out as she reached the end of the steps, in an effort to calm her nerves.

She looked as people walked past her and she put a smile on her face. She walked away from the steps, but stopped in her tracks as she looked at what she saw before her...

In front of her, was the burnt down Evissa, which stood out like a sore thumb from everything else. The windows were completely smashed through and were now blocked up with wood and the outer exterior wall which used to be white was now charcoaled black. The sign of Evissa was missing most of the letters and now only the E, I and S were still on the front of the building. The door was missing and instead was replaced by blue and white 'Police - Do Not Cross' tape. The inside of the old salon was visible through the window and everything inside was burnt and nothing much was left to look out. Marie felt her muscles tense up and she felt her blood run cold in her body as she looked at the burn-out building. She felt her heart race faster and she felt like she wanted to run away. The building in her nightmares was staring right back at her. She felt herself drawn to it as she walked closer to it. Her breathing became shaky and she felt her tummy flutter uncontrollably.

Her head was spinning and she could feel people staring at her with their eyes... She looked over at the building once more before she turned on her heel and started walking away from it, her body prickling with goose bumps...

She walked away and started walking towards the street, running her arms over her body in an effort to warm herself up.

_'Just calm down...It's just a building. Just a burnt-down building..."_

She looked over at Il Gnosh and started to make her way down there. She carefully opened the steel door into the restaurant and looked around at the people sitting down eating at tables and the waitresses hurrying round the tables. She slowly looked around, taking the atmosphere in and felt a twinge of deja vu as she walked up to the serving kiosk.

She looked at the man standing at the kiosk in a black chefs uniform and he stopped what he was doing as he saw her and gave Marie a smile.

"Hello Marie. Nice to see you..." smiled Tony.

Marie stared back at him and she felt her mind go blank as she tried to remember his name. "Hi..."

"Tony..." said Tony, with a reassuring look.

"Tony..." hesitated Marie, feeling her face go red. "How are you?"

Tony nodded. "Not so bad. Yourself? How are you feeling now?"

"Oh, you know...I've been better...but I feel a lot better than I done before..." said Marie, glancing around the room.

Tony nodded again and gave her a sympathetic look. "That's good to hear. You look a lot better, if I say so myself..."

"Oh, thank-you..." said Marie, quietly and she put on a smile.

"Can I get you anything?" asked Tony, gesturing to the menu.

Marie sighed. "Thank-you, but I don't think so... I'm just out...walking..."

"Anyway, it's good to see you." empathised Tony, "And if you ever need anyone to talk to, then I'm always available for a chat..."

"Thank-you...again..." smiled Marie. "I better be off now..."

"Bye..." waved Tony as Marie headed off.

She headed out of the door and walked back out into the spring air and felt her mind wander back into it's own little world again. She headed off past Il Gnosh and began to walk around the pond outside the Dog. She glanced down at the water and saw her reflection staring back at her and she turned away. She leaned against the rope barrier and looked down into the cool water and threw a stone into the pond, making a wish as it hit the water and sank back down into the water without a trace...

She turned on her heel and walked back towards the main village square. She glanced back at the pond momentarily until she felt herself bump into someone. She staggered back and felt like she was gonna fall, until the person grabbed her hand and pulled her back up again.

"Sorry, I was miles away..." said Marie, until she glanced up and saw that OB was stood in front of her, carrying a few Drive n' Buy shopping bags.

She looked back at him and she felt words escape her mouth. She smiled at him and he gave her an uneasy smile back.

"Oh, hello..." smiled Marie.

"Hi..." said OB awkwardly, his face looking vacant as he tried not to look her in the eye.

Marie stared back at him, confused at his shiftiness. "I'm really sorry, but I can't remember your name..."

OB looked at her, with a serious expression on his face. "You really don't remember me at all, do you?"

Marie felt her cheeks catch on fire with embarrassment with his off-guard question.

"I...umm...I...It's my memory. I can't often place things. I have a head injury and I...forget things..." stammered Marie, swallowing hard.

He nodded and sighed. "It's OB..."

"Sorry?" asked Marie.

"My name. It's OB." repeated OB.

"Oh, right. Hello...again..." smiled Marie, nervously.

"How's your head?" asked OB, solemnly, looking at the side of her face.

"It's okay now..." said Marie, touching her scar. "Well, not okay okay, because I have memory loss and all that, but I'm getting there..."

OB nodded and opened his mouth to say something but then shut it again.

He cleared his throat, nervously. "Right, well. It's nice to see you about. I best be off..."

He stared walking away, leaving Marie on her own in the street, when she called out towards him.

"I do know you, you know..."

OB stopped and turned around as Marie walked up to him.

"You're on my phone." explained Marie. "Your picture. Lots, actually. Were we...friends? Did we...did we go out a lot?"

OB nodded, his face disappointed. "Used to, yeah."

Marie watched as she saw his eyes wander to the floor again. "Oh right, I see..."

"Listen, I know I haven't been...a very sociable friend...but if you want, if you ever want to go for a coffee or something, then I'm...available..." said Marie, hopefully, putting on a smile.

OB stared back at her, stony silent.

Marie felt her face clam up and she looked down at the floor. "Just a suggestion. I-I mean it's totally up to..."

She looked back up at OB to see that he'd already walked away, without saying a word.

"You" sighed Marie.

_'What did I do wrong?' _thought Marie to herself. _'He couldn't have gotten away quicker...Some friend...'_

She looked back at the sky to see the clouds were starting to come in, crowding round the village like vultures and dampening her once up-beat mood...

**Zoe**

Zoe lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling in her dorm room, gazing up at the white blank canvas of the ceiling. She closed her brown eyes wearily and rubbed her eyes, looking over at her suitcases in the corner. She looked away and stared back at the ceiling, her mind numb with pain. She smoothed the creases out of her bedcovers. She looked over at her bedside table at the untouched cups of tea left cluttering up by the side of the bed. She sighed and closed her eyes again and tried to block out everything...

The door knocked and Zoe didn't bother turning her head. She was used to it.

"Zoe??" called Jess's voice. "It's me, Jess. Can we talk?"

Zoe sighed. "Go away..."

"Please, Zo. I need you." pleaded Jess.

Zoe looked at the door and then turned away again, silently hoping that Jess would take the hint and leave.

"Zoe, I'm not going away until we talk..." said Jess, her voice becoming more urgent and demanding.

Zoe sighed and she dragged herself up from her bed and shuffled towards the door. She opened the door and let Jess look at her. Jess stared back at Zoe, who was now a former shadow of what she used to be, standing before her looking tired in old baggy clothes. Her eyes looked puffy and her hair looked unwashed and frazzled. Zoe stared at Jess square in the face, blocking the doorway.

"My god, Zo..." recoiled Jess. "You look awful..."

Zoe sighed. "Thank-you Jess, is that all you have to say?"

"Can I come in?" said Jess, pleading with her eyes.

Zoe exhaled and she moved away from the doorway and sunk back down into her bed. Jess stared at Zoe's room and her eyes were drawn to the mugs of tea. She looked at Zoe, who had resumed her position of staring back at the ceiling. Jess sat down on the end of the bed and looked at the black suitcases in the corner of the room.

"You leaving?" asked Jess, looking at the suitcases.

"I need some time." said Zoe, bluntly.

Jess nodded. "Where are you going to go?"

"Mum and Dad's." said Zoe, flatly, barely acknowledging Jess.

Jess sighed and looked at Zoe lying on her bed. "I've been trying to talk to you all week..."

Zoe glanced at her fingernails. "I've been...busy..."

"I'm sure..." muttered Jess, staring at the posters on the wall.

Zoe sat up at Jess's snide remarks and turned to face Jess. "Instead of pissing me off with your superficial sympathy and stupid comments, why don't you just tell me why you're here?? Otherwise you can go and fill your day by doing your make-up or bitching on the phone or whatever it is you do all day..."

Jess looked back at Zoe and she closed her eyes. "Please, Zo. This is hard enough as it is..."

Zoe laughed cynically. "Hard?! You don't know the meaning of hard..."

"All I wanted to say was that I'm sorry..." sighed Jess. "For what happened."

Zoe turned her back to Jess. "Why?"

Jess looked down at her feet, her eyes on the brink of tears. "Because it's my fault. I got you those salon vouchers and if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gone..."

Zoe shook her head. "Here we go again..."

"What?" cried Jess. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean Jess, the whole world must simply revolve around you. You think I've been in this state because of you?!" said Zoe, her eyes welling up. "The answer is no, Jess. I have been in hospital for god knows how many weeks! I have seen people get hurt! I nearly died! But no...not even that...It's because of Joe, Jess."

Zoe closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face. "He's dead, Jess. Joe is dead. And it's because of me. He was...my best friend. And he's gone."

Jess moved closer to Zoe and she put her arm around Zoe. "I know, Zo, I know..."

Zoe moved Jess away from her and stood up. "No, you don't! You didn't see him die before your own eyes! And I've told myself that I shouldn't let it get me down, but everyday, I see something that reminds me of him. Yes, it's been three months, but I...I can't bear to forget about him because if I do, he'll be gone forever..."

"And so everyday, I get up, I go to lectures, I come back here, but...it's hard...and I can't do it anymore!" cried Zoe, tears streaming down her face.

"Zoe, I'm here for you. Whatever you want me to do for you, then I'll do it..." said Jess, taking Zoe's hand in hers.

Zoe looked up at Jess and then looked down at the floor. "Anything?"

"Anything..." said Jess, giving a comforting smile.

"Do me a favour. See the door over there?" said Zoe, pointing to the door. "I want you to walk over there and then see the door handle? I want you to turn it and then shut the door behind you and then walk away..."

Jess looked at Zoe and shook her head, trying not to show her tears. She turned away from Zoe and then she started to head for the door, but then turned on her heel and faced Zoe.

"Why are you doing this to me, Zoe? You blame me, don't you?" cried Jess, staring intently at Zoe.

"I did..." sighed Zoe. "But I don't know anymore..."

"Then just...tell me this...are we still friends??" asked Jess, wiping her eye.

Zoe stared at Jess, but then turned her head away.

Jess looked at the door and slowly made her way towards it and silently closed it behind her, as she slowly began to cry to herself - crying over what she had lost and what she hadn't yet found…

**Mel**

Mel was sat staring into space, hugging herself as she sat on a bench at the train station. It was dark now and the air was crisp and colder than it had been in a long time. Justin was stood by the bench, sipping a hot chocolate as he stared at the train timetable. They were the only people waiting at the station and they weren't saying a word to each other. Justin glanced over at Mel and then turned his head away.

"What you thinking about?" asked Mel, as she turned to face Justin.

Justin shook his head. "Dunno. Lot's of things...Sophie and all that..."

"You're not still thinking that we should turn Sophie's machine off, are you?" said Mel, accusingly.

Justin sighed. "No. I just think we need to decide what's best for Sophie..."

"Well, Sophie deserves to live..." said Mel, adamantly. "That's what's best for her! And anyway, I'd hardly trust your judgement..."

"Oh here we go..." said Justin, throwing his cup in the bin. "What do you mean by that??"

Mel snorted. "Hmm...let's see...You smoke weed, you slept with your school teacher, you've fathered a child at seventeen..."

"Oh, right, so we're playing the Judgement Game now??" retorted Justin. "Well, let me think...What problems do you have Mel?? Oh, that's _so _hard...I just can't put my finger on it..."

Mel looked down at the floor. "I... haven't touched a drop in months, Justin..."

Justin sat down on the bench beside Mel. "I'll believe that when I see it..."

"I swear..." said Mel, pleading Justin with her eyes.

Justin turned his head away. "Can we please just focus on Sophie..."

"Mum will agree with me..." nodded Mel. "She'll say no to the doctors and then Sophie will wake up..."

"Mel, it's not that simple! We can't just live on hope! We can't just think that she's gonna magically wake up like nothing happened..." said Justin, bleakly.

"Well, it's all we've got!" whispered Mel, her face heavy with sadness.

Mel and Justin sat in silence as they watched the train tracks, waiting for their Mum, hoping she'd be able to cure all their problems. The sound of trains blared in the distance and the wind whistled down the train tracks, making them feel even more isolated and alone...

"Mum can help us, right??" asked Justin, desperate for a solution to the mess they were currently in.

Mel looked at her brother. His face reminded her of when he was a child. The same look of desperation on his face. The look of a lost child in need of his mother. They were both pretending in their own ways - coaxing themselves into believing lies. For Mel, it was denying that her drink problem had returned. For Justin, it was believing he could cope with everything. She stared into his eyes and gave him an answer that even she wasn't so sure about...

Mel nodded. "Yes. Yes, Mum can help us..."

They both turned their heads to the train tunnel and saw a green train pull up into the station, stopping in front of them.

Mel and Justin both stood up and prayed that is was the one they had been waiting for...

"It's the 39!" said Justin, swallowing hard.

The train doors opened and a few people got off the train. Justin walked up closer and peered into the windows, while Mel stood back and watched the doors.

"I can't see her..." said Justin, squinting through the windows.

"Hello, Jay..."

Justin turned his head and saw Liz standing in front of him, holding her bags. She looked the same - same blonde hair, same eyes, wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. She looked tired under her eyes, but she smiled at her son, standing before her. He looked at her and he smiled at her.

"Mum..." whispered Justin.

"Come here..." said Liz, her eyes brimming with tears as she held out her arms.

Justin ran into her arms and he relaxed as he breathed in her familiar scent. He felt himself beginning to cry as all the tension disappeared. Liz wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"You feel thin, Jay..." said Liz, concerned as she hugged him tighter.

Justin wiped his eyes. "I'm fine, Mum..."

"Where's Mel?" asked Liz, looking round for her daughter.

Mel was standing a few feet away from them both, watching them cautiously as they hugged.

"I'm here, Mum..." said Mel, meekly.

Liz walked over to Mel and before Mel could say anything, Liz wrapped herself around Mel.

"My baby girl..." whispered Liz, shakily and she kissed Mel on her head.

Mel felt herself sobbing involuntarily as she hugged her mother, not realising how badly she missed her.

"How are you?" asked Liz, staring into her daughter's eyes. "Have you been keeping yourself well?"

"I'm fine, Mum, I'm fine. Just glad to see you..." nodded Mel.

"Jay, come here..." said Liz, smiling at her son.

Justin walked over to his mum and sister, carrying Liz's bags over. Liz held out her hand to Justin and he clasped his hand around hers.

"It's not going to be easy, but we're all going to be strong for Sophie." said Liz, holding her children's hands tightly.

"That's what she'd expect us to do."

"What are we going to do, Mum?" asked Justin, looking up to his mum for answers.

"I don't know, love." answered Liz, honestly. "But I tell you, this. We are going to be a family again. Just like we should be."

"How can we be when Sophie is not with us?" sighed Mel, her words wavering.

Liz wiped a tear from her eye. "We're going to have to try..."

Justin, Mel and Liz all stared into the distance, lost without Sophie's presence...

"Right..." smiled Liz, nervously. "We can't stand around here all day...I've got the key to the flat. We best get walking to the bus station before it gets darker..."

"We'll take your bags..." said Justin, picking up a bag.

Liz smiled and gently touched Justin and Mel on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you both...The way you're coping..."

Mel gave a small smile back, but instantly felt a twinge of guilt as her mum looked back at her.

Liz and Justin began walking towards the train station exit, talking as they walked along. Mel looked over at her Mum's bag and she bent over to pick it up. Suddenly as she did, she felt something fall out of her jacket pocket and onto the floor with a smash...

Both Justin and Liz turned their heads over to Mel, who was looking at the floor in shock.

"What was that?" asked Liz, walking over to Mel.

"Nothing..." said Mel, defensively as she tried to cover it up.

"I heard something break, Mel...It must be something..." said Liz trying to see what Mel was hiding.

Liz kicked her bag out of the way to see what Mel was hiding. On the floor smashed to bits, was a miniature bottle of vodka, the contents spilled out onto the floor and seeping down into the cracks of the stone floor...

Mel looked at her mother, whose face had now turned sombre, realising what it was. Liz stood up and stared at Mel, who looked back at her, her face flush with guilt and embarrassment...

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that..." said Liz, her voice flat and stern. "But if I ever see anything like that in the flat, then so help me, I will forbid you from seeing Sophie...I'm very disappointed, Mel..."

Liz picked up her bag and she started to walk off with Justin, leaving Mel behind. "Come on, let's get a taxi instead..."

Mel stared at the broken bottle on the floor and fighting back tears, she walked slowly behind her mother and Justin, trying to keep a solemn face, but inside, she knew she was as broken as the bottle on the floor...

**Marie**

The rain had started to beat down heavily across the village and Marie quickly ran up the steps back up to the row of flats. She raced to the familiar blue door of the Valentines and she reached down into her bag, searching for her key. She felt her skin shiver as the rain began to beat down harder and her clothes were becoming more drenched by the second. She looked down into her bag and started to rummage through, hoping she could find her keys so she could get inside out of the torrential rain...

Panicky, she began to tip the contents of her bag onto the wet floor

"Oh bugger..." she cursed under her breath as the items on the floor began to get wet with rain.

_''Come on...You had the key earlier...It can't have gone too far..."_

She poked about at the items on the floor in vain hope of looking for her key. She felt her hat was now soaking wet and was now seeping through into her hair, causing the water to drip of into her face, like tears. She picked up her things and stood up at the door and began to knock repeatedly on the door, hoping someone would be in to let her in.

"Calvin??" called Marie, peering inside the letter box. "Is anyone in?? I can't find my key!!"

She sighed to herself. '_'Great...I leave the house and I can't even remember my key...So much for trying to get sorted again...''_

"Hello??" she called again through the letterbox, but then sighed and leaned against the door, letting the rain water wash over her, as if it would rid her of everything...

"Have you lost your key?"

Marie turned round to see OB staring at her from the last door in the row of houses.

_''What does he want? To watch me make a prat of myself??...''_

"I think I may have misplaced it..." she sighed, drearily.

"So, you've lost it then?..." asked OB,

Marie nodded. "Yes..."

OB nodded taking it in and then turned his back and opened the door and held it open. "Come inside..."

"Sorry?"

"You're soaked. Come inside the flat..." offered OB, opening the door wider.

"I'm fine, thanks." said Marie, giving a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Calvin will be home soon..."

OB shook his head. "Just come inside. You can wait for Calvin inside..."

Marie looked back at her door and then back at OB. She picked up her bag and started to walk towards him. He glanced at her briefly as she walked through into the lobby of the flats.

"Thanks..." she said, pausing to look up at him before he carried on walking.

He walked over to the flat door and opened the door and let Marie walk into the flat. She looked around the flat, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. He breezed through into the kitchen and watched as Marie walked around, looking at the various objects and photos around the room.

"Nice place..." said Marie, glancing around the room.

"Thanks." said OB, quietly

He looked at the kettle and then looked back at Marie, who was now looking at a photo of Tom. She smiled as she looked at the photo of a smiling boy beaming back at her...

"Do you want a drink?" asked OB, motioning to the kettle.

Marie nodded. "Yeah, I'll have a cup of tea. M-"

"Milk and one sugar." said OB, as he took two mugs out of a cupboard.

Marie smiled. "Better memory than I have..."

"So it seems..." muttered OB, as he flicked the kettle switch on.

Marie looked on as OB dropped two spoons into the mugs, keeping his eyes firmly on the kitchen counter as he searched the cupboards, like a zombie...

She frowned at him as he didn't say a word and continued to watch the kettle, staring as the water began to bubble away. Marie looked at the kettle and it reminded her of the atmosphere in the room: just bubbling away...

"Had a bad day?" asked Marie, trying to strike up conversation.

OB shook his head. "No. Why do you say that?"

Marie looked back at him. "You look...upset..."

"Just tired." mumbled OB, as he continued to stare at the kettle.

Marie turned away, but then walked up closer to him, so that she was in his focus line. "Sorry, but have I done something to upset you?"

OB looked back at her, finally making eye contact. "Why's that?"

"You act ever so strangely around me...You act is if you can't stand to be in the same room as me..." said Marie, nervously.

OB sighed and poured hot water into the two mugs. "I don't mean to...It's just..."

"What?" asked Marie, tilting her head to look at him.

"You seem so different, now." said OB, looking at her.

Marie paused and she swallowed hard. "Am I?"

"Yeah." nodded OB, as he stirred a spoon.

"Yeah well, when you lose your memories then it does kinda change things..." said Marie, turning her back to him.

OB looked at her and then sighed. He walked over to her and handed her the cup of tea. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" sighed Marie. "Being honest?? I'd prefer you did. Better than having people tip-toeing around me all the time like I'm some ticking bomb..."

"I...I didn't realise...How badly it had affected you..." sighed OB, as he stared at the scar on the side of her head.

Marie sipped her tea and then looked out of the window. "It's like being lost...with no map, no-one to talk to...but I'm getting there..."

"That's good to know..." said OB, giving her a smile. "I mean, the fact that you're getting there, not the lost part...But I know you'll get there..."

Marie smiled and then put her tea down on the coffee table. As she put it down, she noticed a white Wii control on the edge of the table.

"I see you have got yourself a Wii then..." said Marie, picking up the remote. "I've seen the ads on TV, but I don't know anyone who's actually got one..."

"Oh, that..." smiled OB. "Yeah...Well, technically, it's Max's investment, but I like to pretend it's mine. Do you fancy a game?"

Marie laughed. "Me?? Oh, no. I'm rubbish."

"Go on, it's easy once you get the hang of it..." said OB, jumping over the TV and switching on the TV.

He walked over to her and handed her a Wii control and smiled.

She smiled back at him. "Thank-you..."

"For what?" asked OB, looking back at her.

"For being a friend and making me feel a bit better..." smiled Marie.

"Anytime..."

There was a knock at the door and OB and Marie both looked at the door and then at each other.

"Right, you pick a game and I'll see who it is at the door..." said OB, looking over at the door.

Marie nodded and then looked back at the TV, pointing the Wii remote at the screen.

OB jumped over the sofa again and started to walk towards the door. He undid the latch and opened the door to see Calvin staring back at him, in his police officer uniform. OB's smile disappeared from his face as Calvin stared at him solemnly. They both observed each other, not saying a word, but both staring at each other with a grim look on one another's face. Calvin cleared his throat and peered into the flat.

"OB..." said Calvin, solemnly.

"Calvin..." said OB, his eyes flickering to the floor and then back at Calvin.

Marie looked over at the door and smiled as she saw Calvin and waved at him with the Wii remote. "Oh, hi Calvin! Look! It's a Wii! Isn't that great!"

Calvin gave her a smile and brushed past OB as he walked into the flat.

"I was just looking for you actually" said Calvin, smiling at Marie. "...but I guess OB found you..." He gave OB a cold stare.

"She lost her key." explained OB, frowning at Calvin. "I let her stay in the flat for a bit because it was raining."

Calvin nodded. "I see."

Marie started walking towards the door. She smiled at them both. "Is everything ok, Calvin? How did you know I'd be here??"

"I asked Tony and he said he saw you go into the flat earlier." said Calvin. "I just wanted to know if you were doing anything tonight...but I can see your busy..."

"Oh no no, I'm not busy..." said Marie and she shook her head. "You don't mind if I go, do you, OB?"

OB shook his head. "No, no. That's fine."

"I've got tickets to the cinema..." said Calvin, smiling. "To see that scary film you said you wanted to see..."

"Oh! The Spanish horror film?? I can't believe you remembered!" smiled Marie and she hugged Calvin.

Calvin smiled as she hugged him, but he looked over at OB, who had turned his head away.

Calvin nodded. "Right then, we best get going if we want to get into town first..."

Calvin headed for the door and walked out, waiting outside the door. Marie looked over at OB and handed him the Wii remote in her hand.

"Thanks OB...You'll have to teach me how to play soon!" smiled Marie.

"Yeah, yeah..." nodded OB, vacantly. "Another time, yeah?"

Marie headed towards the door and she smiled at him. "Bye..."

"Bye..." said OB, quietly, looking at the Wii remote in his hand.

He walked over to the door and watched as Marie headed down the steps and out of the door. Calvin looked back at OB and he walked back towards the front door and he gave him a weird smile.

"By the way, if Marie happens to lose her key again then you best call me..." added Calvin, staring intently at OB. "Wouldn't want to cause any bother for you..."

"No bother at all..." said OB,

"Good. Well, lets keep it how it is, shall we?..." smirked Calvin. "Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt now, do we?"

OB frowned at Calvin. "Is that a threat?"

"Stay away from her." warned Calvin and with that, he walked away.

OB closed the door behind him and he looked at the Wii remote in his hand and he tossed it onto the floor and walked away...

**End of Chapter**

**A/N: Again, really sorry for late update! I had bad writers block but I've got an idea in my head now, so hopefully I can end it soon! **

**Thank-you for reading and please review and tell me what you thought and any thoughts on ideas would be great!! xxxx**


	26. The Good, The Bad and The Very Darn Ugly

**Chapter 25**

**The Good, The Bad And The Very Darn Ugly**

**Rating - T**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Hollyoaks or any of its characters except OCs and OPs**

**Marie**

"Hmm...Builder, Plumber, Rubbish collector...Nope. Cheshire is not in short supply of beauticians..." sighed Marie, as she scanned the job pages of the Chester Herald.

Calvin and Marie were sat at a table in Il Gnosh. Marie was reading the paper and Calvin was busy reading a magazine. The spring morning sunlight was streaming in through the glass windows, illuminating the tables and the place was starting to get busy with lunchtime customers. Marie adjusted her purple top, pulling it down and Calvin tried not to look down as she fiddled with the neckline of her top...

He looked down at the paper from which she was reading off and scanned the page as well, hoping to find something helpful.

"What about in the city?" asked Calvin, looking up from the sports pages. "You could commute..."

She folded the paper in half and tossed it down on the table. "I don't think I even want my old job back..."

"Why?" frowned Calvin. "You used to like it..."

"Yeah, but that was before everything. Now, I just want to actually _do _something in my life. Get a better job with better money..." said Marie, stirring her spoon in her coffee.

"And plus, even if by pure luck that I find a salon round here and get an interview, how do I explain about Evissa? ''So Miss Roberts, why did you leave your last job?'' ''Well, technically, I didn't leave, but my boss did hold me hostage and whacked me over the head..."

"Ok, then..." smiled Calvin. "What do you have in mind?"

Marie paused, looking up to the ceiling. "Errrm...Something which doesn't require me to do much work, but pay's a lot..."

Calvin smirked. "Ok, I need something a bit more specific than that..."

"I don't know..." sighed Marie. "I honestly don't know. But I know I don't want to be a beautician, that's for sure..."

"Right, let's go through the ABC of jobs..." said Calvin, grabbing a pen and paper. "So, how about...Accounting?"

"No. I'm not great with numbers." dismissed Marie.

"Acting?"

"Uh-uh..."

"Ok, then, how about...Animals? Vetinary work..."

Marie shook her head and laughed. "Nooo way! I've seen Rolf Harris in Animal Hospital. I don't really want to shove my hand up some cow's arse, thank-you very much..."

Calvin crossed something off on his piece of paper. "Right then. Builder."

Marie stared at Calvin with horror over the very thought of becoming a builder. _'Me in a hard hat?? You must be having a laugh!'_

He laughed. "I'll take that as a no...How about Children?..."

Marie's face went pale. "If you're asking me to breed for money, then...

Calvin shook his head. "No no no...Childcare. Teaching. That sort of area..."

"Maybe. Quite possibly." sighed Marie. '_Hmm...Teaching might be good. I'd get summer holidays and half-terms...If only I could control children...'_

"Ok, so, that's going on the maybe list..."

Marie raised her hand in the air with excitement. "I know! How about Cookery! Yeah! I could be the new Nigella Lawson! Except without the whole faking sex thing with the food...What about that? That sounds good, don't it?"

He nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "It sounds great. Really great. Except for one small, baby, minor issue..."

"What's that?"

"Can you actually cook?" asked Calvin, leaning towards her.

Marie paused. "I can make a really mean round of... toast..."

"Right..." said Calvin, scribbling furiously on the piece of paper. "How do you feel about Dentistry?"

"Oh, I don't know." sighed Marie. "This is getting me nowhere. Even if I was interested, then I don't have the right qualifications..."

Calvin reached into his jacket pocket and produced four-folded pieces of paper. "Good job, I have this to give you then..."

Marie took the papers from his hand and opened them up, spreading them on the table. "What's this, then?"

"It is an application form for Hollyoaks Community College..." said Calvin, with a promising smile.

She looked down at the papers, confused. "HCC?"

"Yes." nodded Calvin.

She scanned the pages as she saw every box had been filled. Her name. Her address. Even the box where it asked why she wanted to join the college and become a student. She tugged on a piece of her hair nervously as her eyes flickered as she saw every single detail had been filled in...just not by her...

Marie looked up at Calvin, dumbstruck over what had been placed in front of her. "But it's all filled out."

"I know. I did it for you." said Calvin, with a reassuring look. "All you have to do now, is to sigh and post it..."

Marie gave a small nervous laugh. "Wait, what have you signed me up for...I hope it's not some weird holistic yoga course or something..."

"A-Levels..." said Calvin proudly.

"A-Levels?" repeated Marie. '_Oh god, I thought I'd escaped having to do them...'_

Calvin put his spoon in his empty coffee cup with a clink. "You can't go anywhere without A-Levels nowadays. And plus, by doing A-levels, you can then do whatever job you want, but, you still have time to think about what you want to do..."

Marie smiled uneasily as she looked over at her best friend. "Calvin, this is very good of you, but you know what I was like when I was at school. Me and school did not mix..."

"Yeah, but this time it will be different." said Calvin, moving his hand over to hers.

She read through the application form. "Wow, you've even picked out courses for me to study...English, Psychology and Sociology..."

"You can change those if you want, but they are broad-based subjects, so you can go to all sorts of different careers with these A-levels..."

"I don't know..." sighed Marie, her heart and head clouded with uneasiness and doubt.

Calvin smiled. "Oh come on. This is your chance to change who you are..."

Marie looked down at the application form and then back at Calvin. _'He's taken a lot of time to help me with everything...I didn't know he cared so much...He seems dead keen for me to do this...Maybe if I did do this, I could really work this time round and finally get to do something other than polishing nails...What do I say?? Do I say yes or no?? I can't say no, cause then he'll get offended...Oh god, what would the old me do??...No. I can't keep thinking about the old me. This is the new me. I suppose it is time for a change...'_

Marie smiled. "Alright. HCC, it is then..."

"Great!" grinned Calvin. "That's fantastic..."

The smile quickly slid away from Marie's face. "But what about money? I won't be earning money if I'm a student. I need to have money so I can pay rent and all..."

"Marie, you don't have to pay rent. I don't want you to keep paying rent. I like having you around..." said Calvin, his eyes looking straight into hers. She looked back at him. It felt as if he was staring straight through her, right into her body...

She quickly glanced down. "I know, but I feel bad. I don't want to be some freeloader living off you..."

"You could get a part-time job" suggested Calvin, "...At the Dog, Washed-Up..."

Marie looked around her and looked at the people around her and the waiters serving tables. She looked at Tony and Dom, who were standing by the kitchen and looked back at Calvin. "I could get a job here..."

"Or here is good too..." said Calvin, his voice less enthusiastic.

"Tony's bound to have some jobs going..." noted Marie, as she looked around. "And plus I could work evenings, so I could go to college in the day and earn a bit of cash here in the evening..."

"Go and ask him then, but there are a lot of people working here, so I don't think he'll have any..." sighed Calvin.

"I don't need to.." smiled Marie, "He's coming over here..."

Calvin looked as Tony made his way over to their table in his black chef's uniform. He looked over and smiled at them both as he came over to speak to them.

"Marie and Calvin..." smiled Tony. "What a lovely surprise to see you two in here! And how are you both?"

Marie was about to say something when Calvin suddenly interrupted. "We're fine, thanks, Tony..."

She glanced at Calvin and then smiled at Tony.

"Can I get you anything else?" asked Tony. "More coffee? Lunch, perhaps?"

"Yes, please." smiled Marie and she scanned the menu. "I would like...a job. Do you have any?''

Tony scratched his head in thought. 'Well, I do need someone to cover some shifts in the evenings.''

''What sort of work?'' asked Marie.

''Oh the usual. Waiting on tables, taking orders, doing drinks...Why? Do you want some work then?'' asked Tony, curiously...

''Well, I don't exactly have anything to do anymore, so...'' laughed Marie.

''Have you done any waitressing before?'' asked Tony. "It is quite hard work..."

She nodded. ''My step-mum runs a pub, so I've done bar work and a bit of waitressing...''

Tony looked at his watch and back at Marie. ''Well, if you like, I can give you a trial run. See if you like it or not...''

Marie's face quickly grew into a smile. 'That would be great!''

''Say, come in tomorrow, around nine-ish? I can start you off with some work...'' said Tony, breezily.

''Super! Thanks!'' grinned Marie.

"Don't be late!" said Tony and he walked off back to the kitchen.

She sighed happily to herself and looked at Calvin. ''See? Positive thinking equals positive actions!''

''Well, I must say, I'm impressed!'' smiled Calvin.

''New start. New me.'' beamed Marie, happily.

''I'll drink to that!'' laughed Calvin.

Marie gasped with delight. ''Hey! Let's go out tonight! Let our hair down! Well...my hair, seeing as you have none...''

Calvin feigned a look of shocked hurt. ''Oi! I can grow hair!...Anyway, what do you have in mind?''

''I dunno. The Dog??" suggested Marie. "Or if you're feeling really outrageous, then we could go to the Loft for some celebratory drinks and a bit of a boogie...''

Calvin sighed and smiled. ''Why not? It is my day off...''

''Yay!" giggled Marie. "This will probably be my first night out in ages!"

She downed the rest of her coffee and got up out of her chair. "But first, I need to buy something to wear...Care to go shopping?"

"If we must..." smiled Calvin and he grabbed his coat.

**Mel**

Mel sat at the kitchen table in her new surroundings and watched as her mum, Liz did the ironing. She looked at the orange juice and toast in front of her, but somehow couldn't get the energy to shove the toast in her mouth or to drink the juice. She looked at the TV, her eyes weary from lack of sleep and became transfixed as the images flickered from screen to screen...

"I have a feeling today is going to be a good day..." smiled Liz. "I just...feel it in my bones..."

Mel closed her eyes and rubbed them, not paying attention to what her mum was saying...

"Mel? Are you listening?" asked Liz, with one hand on her hip.

"No..." replied Mel, honestly.

Liz walked over to Mel and put her hand over her forehead. "Are you feeling alright, love?"

"I'm fine..." said Mel and she looked up to Liz and gave her best fake ''I'm fine'' smiles.

Liz frowned at Mel. "I heard you get up to go to the bathroom four times last night..."

Mel slumped down in her chair and felt her body collapse from tiredness. She had been to the bathroom four times in the night and felt like she'd thrown up her entire body weight...

''Dare I ask is it from drinking or not drinking?" sighed Liz as she walked back over to her washing.

"Not drinking, actually..." snapped Mel. "You know, I am trying. For Sophie..."

Liz put down her iron. "I was only asking because I can't really tell with you, Mel...You know, whenever I called to check on you, you always said you were fine. But clearly not seeing as you're getting withdrawal symptoms..."

"It was just how I coped..." sighed Mel, as she hugged her knees.

"Well, like I've said, we'll wipe the slate clean...and focus on moving forward together as a family..." said Liz, adamantly.

Mel nodded and drifted off into a world of her own. "Have you heard from Sophie's doctor?..."

Liz looked up at Mel and then back down at her ironing. "He phoned yesterday..."

"And?" said Mel, turning around in her chair to face Liz.

Liz took a shirt of Justin's and began to iron the creases smooth. "Just the usual..."

"Did he mention anything about..." said Mel, her voice wavering. She couldn't bare herself to say those words which she didn't want to hear...

"He did..." said Liz, the colour from her cheeks draining.

Mel looked at her mother, terrified. "Mum, please don't tell me you've made a decision..."

Liz paused. "Don't be ridiculous...Of course I wouldn't...I told him no. As I have done for the past three weeks..."

Mel felt her body relax a little. At least she wasn't going to have to worry about having to say goodbye to Sophie for today...

"You know, doctors can be wrong." said Liz, as she carried on with her ironing. "I don't know why they're pushing. There are hundreds of stories of people waking up from comas with suspected brain damage and having perfectly normal lives...I mean people have woken up from comas years after they've been put in them..."

Mel looked up to the ceiling. She thought about Sophie waking up from her coma, fresh as a daisy...

"I was thinking about us all going to see her this evening..." smiled Liz. "Me, you and Jay, once he's finished his shift at Il Gnosh..."

Mel nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great..."

"Do you think you'll be up to it?" asked Liz, concerned over her other daughter's welfare.

Mel swallowed hard, hoping the waves of nausea would subside. "Yeah, I'll be ok..."

"Good." smiled Liz, optimistically. "We can all go together and talk to her. That'd be nice, won't it? And Nana has sent another card down for Sophie, but she's put your name on the card yet again, so we're going to have to tippex it out..."

Mel sighed and looked down at her phone and felt an element of surprise hit her as she noticed she had a new message. She scrolled down and opened the message up:

**Mel,**

**I need 2 talk 2 u. Please. Meet me in Jubilee Gardens at 2.**

**Russ**

Mel looked down at her phone again in shock and then looked at the message. _'Russ? Russ is texting me because he wants to talk?? Russ?? Who hasn't bothered with Sophie in weeks now suddenly wants to talk...Bastard. He had the nerve to go behind Sophie's back with Mercedes and now he wants my help? Well, he can go whistle. I don't care. He needs help in the head, he does...'_

"Who's text you?" asked Liz, eagerly.

"No-one..." said Mel and she put her phone down on the table.

"Why don't you go for a walk?" suggested Liz, looking out of the window. "It's a lovely day and it might clear your head..."

"I dunno..." said Mel, taking a sip of water.

She looked at her phone and picked it up and began to text Russ...

**Why should I help u?**

Liz sat down at the table across from Mel and took a sandwich and began to eat it. "I could join you if you like?"

"You don't have to..." said Mel, "Honestly, I've got some errands to do for Justin anyway..."

"You know, we haven't really spent much time together..." sighed Liz. ''And I thought maybe one night we could go to the cinema or something...Help us take our minds off things...Or we could go shopping..."

Mel looked down at her phone and looked in her inbox. Nothing.

"That sounds good..." said Mel and she gave her mum a smile.

"Life is short, Mel..." said Liz, her voice wobbly with emotion and she reached out for Mel's hand. "And so precious...so I don't want any of us to waste...any more time with any regrets or unhappiness...And as a family, we've had our fair share of unhappiness, what with Dad, then Ali..."

Mel looked over at her mum. "Mum, you don't -

"No, Mel. Let me finish." said Liz and she stood up with her daughter and placed her hands on Mel's shoulders. "I don't want to lose both my girls. So, from now on, we're going to get through this tough patch and we're going to be strong. You're not going to be alone anymore..."

Mel nodded and she leaned in towards Liz and hugged her. She looked at her hand and saw a message from Russ appear on the screen...

**Because you're the only person I can turn to.**

She felt herself sigh. She may have someone helping her, but it seemed not everyone had someone to help them along. Even if it was Russ Owen...

**The Dog**

Darren Osborne looked at himself in the mirror and studied his face and smiled. In his opinion, he'd never looked better. He adjusted his flashing ''Happy Birthday'' badge on his blue-checkered shirt and his blue party hat. With a wide grin, he took a tray of drinks from the bar and he started to walk over to a table near one of the windows where Max, Dom, OB and Tony were sitting.

"Here you are, then..." smiled Darren. "Drinks are on me because...It's my birthday!''

He pointed to his flashing Birthday badge and hat and waited for some sort of response. They all looked up and Darren and then looked back at their drinks...

Darren rolled his eyes and sat down. "Well, don't all cheer at once..."

"Happy Birthday..." said Dom, brightly.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday, Darren!" smiled Tony. "Only four more years till you're thirty..."

"Cheers Tony, not!" said Darren, his eyes widened and he looked at Max and OB who were nursing their pints. "Earth to Max and OB, got anything to say?"

"Happy Birthday..." mumbled Max and OB in unison.

"I said it's my birthday, not ''I'm dying...''. frowned Darren. "What's the matter with you two?"

"I think they're a bit down at the moment..." whispered Dom. "Money and women troubles..."

"Cheer up, guys!" smiled Darren. "We're all going on a pub crawl!"

Max shook his head. "Not for me, mate..."

"Me either..." sighed OB.

Darren sighed. "I know you're down, but let's go and get drunk and forget about everything..."

Tony looked over at Max and OB sympathetically. "He's right guys. We may as well go out and have a civilised drink..."

"Hang on, who said anything about civilised??" laughed Darren as he looked at Tony. "Anyway, what'd you say?"

OB shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno..."

Darren folded his arms. "You two aren't the fun-loving Max and OB anymore. You're the two people formerly known as Max and OB...Just a few drinks...Take a break from your Wii Championship, which frankly is quite sad..."

Max looked at OB and then back at Darren. "Well..."

"Great, that settles it, then!" laughed Darren. "Get your pulling shirts on, lads, cause I'm feeling lucky!"

"Sorry, I'm taken..." grinned Dom.

Tony nodded in agreement. "Me too..."

"Right then, just us three single lads!" smiled Darren over at Max and OB.

Max shook his head. "Not tonight. I don't feel like it..."

Darren laughed. "Oh come on, mate. It's not as if you miss Clare and her bottle of arsenic..."

"God no..." grimaced Max. "I just don't feel in the pulling mode. And he's certainly in no mood..." pointing to OB.

Darren nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot you're still after Marie..."

"I'm not..." said OB.

Tony, Max, Dom and Darren all looked at each other.

OB looked at them all and shook his head. "I'm really not..."

"Oh good, cause I just hired her." said Tony, incoherently.

OB looked at Tony, in shock. "You what?"

"I hired her. She asked for work, I said yes. It's alright, you can thank me." smiled Tony.

"Oh...right..." nodded OB, looking down at his pint.

"Right, who's round is it now?" said Darren, solemnly.

"I'll go..." said Tony, dusting off his jeans. "But one drink and one drink only..."

He got up and left the table, leaving Darren alone with Dom, OB and Max. Darren stared his pint as the silence around them started to become uncomfortable. He began to whistle to himself to ease the awkwardness of the situation. Dom started stacking the beer mats on top of each other.

"So..." smiled Darren, uneasily. "Anyone watch the footie last night?"

"No." said Dom, shaking his head.

"Missed it..." sighed Max.

OB shook his head. "I was working..."

"I see..." said Darren, slumping further down in his chair.

* * *

As Tony was about to collect the drinks from the bar, Louise Summers made her way towards the bar, in her black knee-length coat. Her eyes were glass-like and watery and her face looked tired. Her hair was slightly tangled and she looked pale and gaunt. She turned her head around and looked at everyone who was in the pub suspiciously. Tony watched as she looked at each and everyone of the people in the room, her eyes intent and serious...

"You alright there, Louise?" asked Tony, putting his hand on Louise's shoulder.

Louise jumped as Tony's hand touched her shoulder and she sighed. "Didn't see you there, Tony..."

"How have you been?" said Tony, with a sympathetic sigh.

Louise blinked and turned away. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine thanks..."

"Listen, do you want a drink or anything? On me, of course..." smiled Tony, trying to ease Louise's mood.

She stared at him and then turned her head around. "No no...I...was just looking for someone..."

"Who?" asked Tony, inquisitively.

Louise looked back at him, her face stone cold and she gently whispered. "Warren..."

Tony looked back at Louise, taken aback by what she had just said. "Louise, Warren is dead..." he said, quietly.

She shook her head. "Tony, I've seen him...He is not dead. I know he isn't. Have you seen him? I need to know..."

He placed both his hands on Louise's shoulders and sighed. "Louise, you're obviously still in shock..."

"Just listen to me! I'm not going mad..." barked Louise, "Warren is alive. And I know he's back here..."

"Louise, let me get you a cab home..." said Tony, picking up his mobile and punching in a few numbers.

"No!" shouted Louise, causing some heads to turn and she backed away from Tony. "I don't need your help..."

Tony sighed. "I'm only trying to help you, Louise. It's not going to be easy to forget everything, but I can assure you, Warren isn't going to hurt you anymore..."

Louise wiped her hand across her eyes which were brimming with tears. "You're wrong, Tony..."

She walked quickly towards the door before Tony could say another word, leaving him speechless at the bar. He watched as she ran out from the pub and back out into the village, disappearing from his sight and back into her own world...

He collected the drinks and made his way back to the table, where Darren, OB, Max and Dom were starting to talk...

"Was that Louise?" asked Darren, looking out from the window.

Tony sighed as he passed over the drinks. "Yeah. To be honest, I don't think she's coping. She just asked me whether I'd seen Warren..."

"But he's dead..." frowned Dom.

"Exactly..." said Tony, his face a mixture of confused and worried.

**Mel**

Mel walked across the village, her hands running up and down her arms as she made her way towards Jubilee Gardens. She felt her hands turn to jelly as the wind shook right through her as she walked along and she felt her face go clammy. She looked around at people's faces, hoping that Russ wouldn't show up. She walked past The Dog and she looked up at it, longing to go inside and have a few drinks to ease away the stress that was eating away at her...

She sighed and walked along the footbridge, her mind empty and thoughts of Sophie and drink weighing heavily on her heart...

_'I really hope he's chickened out. Why should I talk to him after everything he's done? Or everything he hasn't done, to be more precise..._

_I could be at home now, minding my own business, without having to waste my time going to meet someone who's betrayed my sister. Or more to the point, someone who I hate..._

_It's not fair that he's asking for my help. He should be apologising. For being a cold-hearted bastard with no respect for my sister, who's very sick. Not that she needs him anyway. He's about as useful as an umbrella on a sunny day..._

_I could do with a drink right now. I'm shaking like a leaf. Bloody withdrawal symptoms...Meeting Russ Owen is just what I really need...not..._

_I hope he's not there. Please don't be there...'_

She walked up the path up to the fountain at Jubliee Gardens to see a man sitting down on one of the benches, looking down at the floor. His hair was out of place and greasy and he looked like he was starting to grow a beard. He was wearing a big puffy black parka coat and had scuffed trainers on his feet. Mel stood back and to her horror, realised it was Russ who was on the bench...

She stayed still as she looked at him, not knowing whether to approach him. But before she could move, he looked up and clocked her as she stood behind the statue. His eyes met hers and she felt uneasy as he smiled at her.

"Hey, Mel. How you doing?" said Russ, semi-cheerily as he looked at Mel standing before him.

Mel walked over to the empty part of the bench and sat down. "Fine. Can't say the same for you, though. You look terrible..."

Russ laughed shakily. "Thanks..."

"Where have you been staying?" asked Mel, feeling genuine concern.

"Men's hostel." replied Russ, rubbing his hands together. "Mum and Dad are in Spain."

Mel closed her eyes and sighed. "What do you want Russ? Why did you ask me to come here today?"

Russ looked over at Mel, his eyes tired and lifeless. "I just...want someone to talk to..."

"Fine. But be quick. I have better things to do than listen to you." snapped Mel, her head bitter as she looked at him.

"How is she?" asked Russ, his eyes desperate.

"Who?" asked Mel, confused.

"Sophie..." said Russ, shakily.

Mel bit her lip and exhaled. "She's great. Doctors say she could wake up any minute now."

Russ' face lit up. "Really? That's...well, that's just fantastic...It'd be nice to see her, up and about and smiling like she used to..."

"What do you need to talk about?" asked Mel, bluntly.

Russ put ran his hands through his hair. "My head...has been such a mess lately...after everything that's happened. What with Sophie and Mercedes..."

"Well, it seems like you already made your choice." muttered Mel, angrily.

He shook his head. "No, you don't understand. Mercedes was just...a one-off. Nothing more."

Mel laughed. "I _really_ believe you, Russ. If she was just a one-off, then why do you mourn her so much when my sister is lying in hospital, her life hanging in the balance of the bloody doctors?!..."

"I've been so confused..." said Russ, nervously.

Mel sighed and stood up. "Russ, I really don't have time for your pathetic whining. You know we've all got problems..."

Russ looked up at her. "Like you and drink?"

Mel felt her face flush hot as she tried to remain calm. "Did. But now, I'm on top of it..."

He nodded. "That's good to know."

Mel sat back down next to Russ. "Why do you need my help? I'm the last person anyone would go to help for."

He turned towards her. "I need you to tell me something."

She looked at him, her voice impatient. "What?"

He sighed. "Did...did Sophie love me?"

Mel shook her head, angrily. "You don't deserve anything from her! You cheated on her!"

"I know." said Russ, his voice wobbly with emotion. "And I've paid for my guilt in my own ways..."

Mel looked at Russ, her eyes relentless and angry. "Well, do you know what, Russ? Yes, she loved you. Very much. She was crazy about you. But you treated her like something you scraped off your shoe..."

"I didn't mean to..." said Russ, his voice filled with sadness and regret.

Mel closed her eyes. "Yeah, well. It's a good job I haven't told her about Mercedes. Otherwise she'd kill you."

"She doesn't know?" asked Russ, his voice brightening up.

She shook her head. "No. But that doesn't mean when she wakes up that she won't ever find out...That's for you to tell her."

Russ nodded and for the first time, he smiled properly. "And I will. I really will. I love Sophie, with all my heart..."

"Loved her so much you haven't been able to see her?" replied Mel, cynically.

"I did see her. Once. But the sight of her there...it just broke my heart..."

"Yeah well, it's been harder for us. Her family. How the hell do you think we feel? Being told that she probably won't wake up...But at least we still see her." said Mel, her voice crackly.

Russ looked up at Mel, confused. "But you said that she was gonna wake up anytime soon?"

Mel looked away into the distance. "Yeah, well, that's just what doctors think. They don't have ten times the amount of faith that I have in her...She never gave up on me, so why should I give up on her?"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as they sat together. Even though they were on the same bench, they felt as if they were miles apart from each other. Mel looked at Russ. His face looked heartbroken and she could tell that this was clearly affecting him. She shut her eyes and looked down at the floor. What right did she have to deny her sister the man she loved?

"Russ, if you really love her, then you go tell her yourself..." sighed Mel.

"I can visit her?" asked Russ, his face eager with anticipation.

Mel nodded and stood up, buttoning her coat. "Yes. But once she wakes up, I don't want you in her life...:"

He looked back at her as if she had shot him with a gun. "But you said..."

"Sophie doesn't need you anymore. She doesn't need you messing her around." replied Mel, her voice monotone.

Russ looked at Mel pleading her with his eyes. "But she's all I've got left..."

Mel shook her head. "Not my problem. You should have thought about that before you cheated on my sister."

"Mel, please..." cried Russ.

But before Russ could say anymore, Mel had already left, leaving him alone on the park bench - with just the memories and him and Sophie filling his mind...

**Justin**

Justin stood in Drive n' Buy, looking at his list that his mum had given him. Milk, eggs, cereal, yoghurts... The list went on. He stood looking at all the neat items stacked on the shelf and aimlessly picked a box of cereal off the shelf into the basket and walked towards the refrigerated shelves. He picked up some more items and shoved them carelessly into the basket and made his way towards the till, thinking about trivial things, such as his next shift at Il Gnosh, another hospital visit, whether he had enough money to help his mum pay the electricity bill...

He unpacked his basket onto the counter for Gilly to scan and swipe. Gilly stared at Justin, who was looking into his wallet, checking to see whether he had that vital crumpled tenner that he needed to pay for the groceries...

"You alright there, mate?" asked Gilly, his face sympathetic.

Justin looked up at him. Gilly's expression was exactly the same as everyone else's whenever they saw him. Sympathetic. At first, Justin had found it comforting - an ease to know that people cared. But now, he was sick of it. Everyone was doing it. Tony made the same face when he asked for more shifts at Il Gnosh. Jack had made the same face when he had ordered his second pint at the Dog last night - not that it did any good...

"Fine. Why shouldn't I be?" he answered back, in typical teenage Justin mode - the tone he used to use on his mum when he really couldn't be bothered to answer her stupid questions.

Gilly looked away and continued to swipe the items, taking the hint. He packed the goods away into bags and punched some numbers into the tills. "That'll be eleven pound forty nine..."

Justin delved his hands into his pockets and started to dig around for some change. He felt his throat close up as he felt just the fabric lining of his trouser pocket. He carefully put the tenner down on the counter and pretended everything was normal. Gilly looked up at him as Justin began to search is back pockets, hoping that they'd be a spare two pound coin lurking about...

"Justin, it doesn't matter, you can pay it back later..." said Gilly, as Justin continued to search his pockets.

"No!" answered Justin, hastily. "I can pay now..."

He felt his body temperature rise as he tried to think about where to get the extra money. There was no way he could just accept Gilly's offer - he may have been in desperate times, but if there was one thing standing in the way of accepting other people's help, it was his pride...

"I'll pay the extra bit of cash..." came a voice from behind Justin.

Justin exhaled heavily. "I said I'm fine..."

As he turned around, it was none other than Becca Dean standing behind him. She gave him a small smile and put down a two pound coin on the counter. Gilly took it and rang up the till. Justin felt his throat swallow up. The love of his life was standing before him, looking immaculate. Her blonde hair was neatly styled, wearing a smart black coat and shiny patent shoes. She looked better than ever...

"Becca..." stammered Justin, unable to speak.

"Justin" sighed Becca and she looked at him sympathetically. "How are you?"

Justin stared back at her. Like all the others, she was full of sympathy. But instead of being annoyed like he was with most people, he felt his heart melt as he knew she was geniuine.

"Stupid question..." sighed Becca.

"No no..." said Justin, shaking his head. "I'm...getting there..."

Becca nodded and smiled. "Good, that's nice to hear."

Justin took the bags off the counter and stood to the side of the shop, feeling nervous as ever as he talked to Becca.

"Listen...thanks..." said Justin, clearing his throat. "For helping me out, with the money..."

"Not at all..." smiled Becca "You looked like you needed some help..."

"Am I that obvious?" said Justin and he smiled up at Becca.

The two of them looked at each other and awkwardly exchanged looks.

"You look nice..." said Justin, surveying Becca from top to bottom.

Becca nodded. "Thanks. I've got a new job."

Justin felt his face light up. "Really? That's fantastic..."

She shrugged. "Well, It's just office work. But it pays the bills, so I can't complain..."

"How's Charlie?" asked Justin, a question that had been aching on his mind for so long.

Becca smiled. "He's great. He's with Nancy at the moment. He's getting bigger every day."

Justin smiled sadly. "That's...that's great..."

"How is Sophie? Has she woken up yet?" asked Becca, concerned.

Justin swallowed hard. "No. Still no change. Doctors say she's deteriorating..."

Becca's face crumpled. "Justin, I'm so sorry to hear that. How's your Mum and Mel coping?"

He sighed. "Mum is...well, putting on a front. I don't think she really wants to accept the fact that things aren't changing. And Mel...she's pretty much in denial of it all..."

She nodded. "I can't imagine what that's like. But I'll be thinking of you all..."

"Thanks. That means a lot" replied Justin, honestly.

"Listen, Justin. Do you want to come round sometime? I dunno, for dinner, or something. Help take your mind off things..." asked Becca, her voice caring and loving.

Justin felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter faster. "Sure. I mean, only if you want to..."

She smiled. "No, that's fine. How about Friday?"

Justin nodded, hoping not to look too eager. "Friday sounds good, yeah."

"I'll make spaghetti bolognese. It's the only thing I can properly cook well." added Becca, with a nervous laugh.

"Sounds great. My favourite." nodded Justin.

Becca looked at her watch. "Right, I better go before Charlie wakes up demanding food..."

"No, that's fine..." agreed Justin, "I better go too. I have to get this back for my mum..."

"Take care..." smiled Becca and she turned on her heels and out of the shop door.

"Bye..." waved Justin and he watched as she walked away...

He opened the door up and looked up at the sky...

Maybe things weren't all so bad after all...

**The Loft**

"See anyone you like?" asked Marie, peering over at the bar and then looking at Calvin with a grin.

The two of them were on the top floor of the Loft at the bar, Calvin with his soda water and Marie with her barcadi and coke. Marie was wearing a new silky patterned white and black flower knee-length dress which she had bought on her shopping trip from the Trafford Centre. She saw it on the rail of one of her favourite shops and although had made a dent in her bank account, she knew she had to have it... along with two pairs of jeans, a new pair of high heels and two tops. Meanwhile Calvin had bought a new Ted Baker shirt and spent the rest of the time giving verdicts on clothes for Marie...

Calvin looked round at the women around him and then back at the women around the bar. Most of the women looked the same - platinum blonde, orange-tanned WAG wannabes, dressed in tiny shorts that could fit nine-year olds...

"Oh...nah..." said Calvin, shaking his head.

"Oh come on!" sighed Marie and grinned. "There's some nice girls in here! How about...that one?"

Calvin looked round to where Marie was looking at. "Where?"

"The girl in the pink dress with blonde hair." said Marie, quietly and she motioned towards the edge of the bar.

He looked over at her and studied her for a second before looking back over at Marie.

"She's alright, I guess." shrugged Calvin and took a sip of his soda water.

Marie rolled her eyes. "Go and say hello!"

"No..." laughed Calvin.

"Okay...so you're a brunette man..." said Marie, still peering. "How about the tall tanned one at the bar?"

Calvin looked over to see a woman in a silver sequin dress, chatting to another bloke. He looked at her again and then suddenly burst out laughing. Marie stared at him, perplexed...

"What's so funny?" asked Marie, looking at Calvin, who was practically in stitches.

"Oh you..." laughed Calvin and he leaned in and motioned Marie to come closer. "You do know that's a man in drag?..." he whispered.

"Really?" gasped Marie and she looked over discreetly. "Oh! So it is...Wow! He really does look like a woman! I really need to get out more..."

"Easy mistake to make..." said Calvin, who was trying to hide the laughter.

Marie took a sip of her drink. "Is it me or is it really busy in here?"

Calvin looked round. "I think it's some promotional drinks night. They've got all the students in here."

Marie's eyes widened. "Oh god...I will be a student. That's scary!..."

"No, but you'll be a _mature _student." smiled Calvin.

She laughed. "That just makes me sound like a right old boffin! When I'm clearly not..."

Marie took another sip of her drink and then looked back at Calvin, who was staring at her intently. Marie looked at his eyes and realised he was looking at her shoulder. She looked at her shoulder and then looked back at him.

"What?" asked Marie, looking at her shoulder. She then looked down at her dress. "Is it my dress?"

"No no, it's nothing..." said Calvin, still peering over by her shoulder.

"No, seriously, what is it?" asked Marie, starting to get worried.

"There's a guy staring at you." said Calvin, somberly.

Marie looked over her shoulder to see a group of lads behind her. A bloke in a blue shirt with blonde hair and green eyes smiled at her and raised his beer bottle at her. Marie smiled at him and then looked back at Calvin.

"Oh yeah. So there is..." shrugged Marie, "He doesn't mean any harm."

"Looks like an idiot to me." muttered Calvin and he took a huge gulp of his soda water.

"He doesn't look so bad..." said Marie. "But maybe you're right. What I don't need is another idiot in my life. I've had too many of them before..."

"Don't be so down on yourself..." said Calvin, patting her hand.

Marie sighed. "No, but it's true. Remember Adam?"

"Unfortunately." nodded Calvin.

Marie nodded. "See? Ultimate idiot. No, he was more like a psycho infact... God, I wonder what he's doing now. I haven't seen him in years...He's probably banged up again..."

Calvin was about to mention the time Adam came to visit, but decided against it. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him."

She sighed and stirred her straw in her empty glass and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, look at me. Reminiscing about my ex's. That's just sad..."

"Would another drink cheer you up?" smiled Calvin.

"Yes, please." nodded Marie.

Calvin got up and joined the very long line for drinks at the bar. Marie sighed and fiddled with her straw. She hugged her arms and looked at the people around her. There were lots of couples in the club and we're either locked in embraces dancing or practically eating each other's faces... Marie sighed and looked away. _Thank god I'm not here alone..._

She looked at the steps and the various people coming up them. Most of them she didn't recognise, until she saw a muscular man with blonde spiky hair come up the stairs, wearing a string vest, gold chains and a grey shirt with gold anchor patterns all over it, which had several flashing badges attached to it. Marie stared at him again, a familiar sense of deja vu creeping over her...

'_God, he looks like he's time-traveled from the Seventies with that hideous shirt...or the whole outfit full stop. He looks a bit of a Del-boy actually...Where do I know him from? Oh, this is gonna bug me all night...It's a shame really as he's not bad looking...He just has terrible dress sense...'_

The man clocked her gaze and winked at her. Marie smiled uneasily back at him and then turned around and felt herself tense up...

_'Oh no!...He's seen me now...I can't run away, cause then he'll know...Oh jesus, he recgonises me...But I don't know his name!...Where's Calvin when you need him??...Oh no, please don't come over to me...'_

He started walking over in her direction and Marie felt her brain go to mush as she tried to remember him...

"Well, hello, Marie..." smiled the man. He had several Happy Birthday badges on his shirt.

Marie put on a smile. "Hello..."

_Mike? No. Steve? Don't think so...Alan? No..._

She looked at his shirt and one of the badges saying 'Happy Birthday Darren!'

"Darren!" she smiled and hoped she'd got it right...

"That's my name, don't wear it out or I'll make you buy a new one..." grinned Darren.

"Wow, it's your birthday. Happy Birthday!" smiled Marie.

Darren did a mini-bow. "Thank-you. And where's my present?"

She looked up at him and hope he was joking. "Oh, I didn't know I had to get one..."

He grinned. "Joke. The very presence of you is all the birthday treat I need...So, what's a gorgeous girl like you doing here then?"

_Ouch. I thought they banned chat-up lines like that! _"Oh I'm just here with Calvin..." nodded Marie, hoping Calvin would make his entrance any minute.

Darren nodded and looked serious. "Ah, so you two are..."

"No no no! We're not together!" laughed Marie. "Just friends..."

"That's good..." smiled Darren.

"Why's that?" frowned Marie.

He swayed in closer. "Well, a beautiful girl like you tied down is a criminal injustice..."

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Now there's a pick-line that aged about 26 years ago..."

Darren began to head towards the bar. "Well, if you change you're mind, I'll be on the dancefloor."

"Great! See ya..." smiled Marie.

Marie watched as he walked off to the bar and didn't notice Calvin come by with the drinks.

"Here you are..." smiled Calvin and he placed another glass of barcadi and coke down on the table along with a beer for him.

"Thank-you." she murmured, half-daydreaming.

"What did Darren Osborne want?" asked Calvin, defensively.

Marie shook her head. "Oh, nothing really. Just parading the fact that it's his birthday."

"I see." nodded Calvin and he leaned forward on the table. "So, Marie..."

She leaned forward closer. "Yes?"

"Can I ask you something? With all seriousness." announced Calvin, his face serious.

"'Course you can." smiled Marie.

He leaned forward and took her hand. "Do you..."

"Do I?" repeated Marie, her heart rattling in her chest as she waited for Calvin to tell her something important...

But just then, Calvin's phone began to ring, interrupting the tense atmosphere.

"Oh for god's sake..." cursed Calvin and he reached into his jean pocket and answered his phone. "Hello?"

Marie sat back in her chair as she watched Calvin's face crumple and sigh heavily.

"But it's my night off..." sighed Calvin. "Can't Kev take cover?"

There was a pause.

"Right. No, that's fine. See you there. Bye." sighed Calvin and he shut his phone and turned his attention back to Marie. "That was work, they want me to cover someone's shift."

"Oh, but we're having fun!" moaned Marie, "When was the last time we did this?"

He sighed. "I know, I know. Anyway, I've got to go and get changed and go to the station. Will you be alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll finish my drink and then I'll go home, watch TV and then go to bed..."

"Sounds cosy. Anway, I'll see you tomorrow." said Calvin, sadly.

"Calvin?" called Marie as he put on his jacket and left his untouched beer behind.

"Yeah?"

"What were you gonna ask me?" smiled Marie.

Calvin shook his head and kissed Marie on the top of her head. "Doesn't matter. Tell you tomorrow. Bye."

Marie waved as she watched Calvin fade away into the sea of crowded people, leaving her alone at the table, with her and two untouched drinks. She sighed and took her drink and started to polish it off.

_'So here I am. Alone again. It's like being at home, except it's crowded, hot and there's a bar and music...' _

"See Mr. Valentine ditched you." said Darren, pointing to the empty chair.

Marie turned to see Darren standing beside her and she sighed.

"Work." sighed Marie. "Or something like that."

"Now, that's a crime leaving a pretty girl on her own. He should arrest himself for doing that to you!" said Darren, giving a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." said Marie, rolling her eyes playfully.

"So, why don't you join us?" asked Darren, pointing to the stairs.

Marie looked up at Darren, intrigued. "You've got others with you?"

He smiled. "Oh just the usual. Me, Tony, Dom, Max, OB...Don't worry they won't bite."

She felt her stomach flip over as she heard his name. "Oh, I dunno..."

"Oh come on." pleaded Darren, pulling up a chair. "I need cheering up. You seem like a girl who knows a good time when she sees one..."

Marie laughed. "Hardly. I was gonna go home..."

"Oh come on. We've got drinks..." egged Darren.

Marie smiled. "Oooh, tempting, but..."

"But?" continued Darren.

"I don't think some of them like me" she sighed.

"Like who?" asked Darren, frowning.

"Like..." said Marie, her sentence trailing as she tried to get his name out.

"Ah. OB." nodded Darren, sympathetically.

"How did you guess?" asked Marie, shocked.

"Oh, he likes you alright." said Darren, surveying Calvin's untouched beer.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same person here?" asked Marie, puzzled.

"Well, how about I stay here and keep you company?" said Darren, giving one of his trademark easy smiles that Marie was beginning to like.

Marie shook her head. "No, don't be silly. You've got your mates with you."

Darren laughed. "They're not really in the party spirit. It's like being with the Addams family with them lot."

"You've noticed too?" said Marie and Darren smiled.

"I like fun people." said Darren, adamantly.

"Me too." nodded Marie.

"So, how about that drink? And we can talk about other things we like too..." toyed Darren.

She sighed. "Alright. But just one. I have work in the morning."

"Fine by me." grinned Darren. "I'll just let the others down."

Marie watched as he went downstairs and as soon as he was out of sight, she buried her head in her arms and let herself smile...

_'Okay, okay, okay...I know. I'm very bad. I know I shouldn't even be drinking with him, because he has the worst chat-up lines in history and he reeks of aftershave and he's not my type, but hey, it's like the Dr. Pepper ad - What's the worst that could happen? One drink won't hurt, right?'_

* * *

"Where have you been? I feel like I've aged 26 more years just sitting here!" moaned Tony as Darren resurfaced from the bar.

Darren grinned as he did a little dance and hummed to himself as the others watched in bemusement.

"What's got into you?" asked OB, bemused.

"Sorry, guys, but I've pulled." smiled Darren, winking.

"Didn't take you very long! What did you do? Kidnap her??" laughed Tony.

"Well, that's the Osborne charm for you!" grinned Darren.

"Hang on, I thought we were celebrating your birthday..." frowned OB.

Darren sighed happily. "Well,_ I _am. But the party just got private, if you catch my drift..."

"But what about us?" asked Dom. "We got you a beer!"

"Ta very much..." said Darren as he picked up the beer and shrugged. "I dunno. Go home if you want."

"Oh thanks, Darren!" moaned Max, sarcastically. "You promise us a good night out and now you're ditching us!

"Sorry! Early bird catches the worm." laughed Darren. "And anyway, it's not as if you're all enjoying yourselves!"

"We might be!" replied Max, folding his arms.

Darren laughed and rolled his eyes. "Really? On Mars?!"

Max sighed. "Alright, but we might be just...warming up!"

"Anyway, I'm still going."

OB folded his arms in protest. "We're your friends! You're not supposed to ditch us for a girl! And anyway, who is she?"

"Errr...no-one you know." replied Darren, sheepishly. "But you see, she is more fun than you people are. And she's in a party mood! So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and celebrate my birthday..."

"We'll get you a cake if you stay!" pleaded Dom. "Won't we guys?"

"Nah. Gotta watch my physique!" smiled Darren as he lifted up his top to show off his muscles.

"Show-off..." muttered Max, as he sipped his beer.

"Well, I'm going home then..." said Dom, finishing his beer. "I've got Tina waiting at home for me..."

"How I envy you..." replied Darren, sarcastically.

"I'm going home too..." agreed Tony. He looked at Max and OB. "Fancy coming back to mine for a few beers?"

"Yeah, why not?" said Max, looking at OB for an answer.

OB nodded, taking a swig of beer. "Go on then...seeing as Darren is ditching us..."

"Well, thanks for coming, lads" said Darren, rubbing his hands. "It's been a brilliant night, but for me, it's going to get so much better..."

"Yeah yeah yeah..." said OB, sarcastically.

**Mel**

Mel was sat in her usual spot in Sophie's hospital room, while she read a magazine and kept watch on Sophie. For Mel, this was a daily ritual: she would sit by Sophie's bed every day from four till six in the afternoon or from eight till ten in the evening and watch Sophie in case she woke up, just so she could prove the doctors wrong. Her mum came with her nearly every day, but seeing as she was starting her new job soon, it would just be Mel on her own. Justin visited every other day in his lunch hour, but would stay later at weekends...

It was half nine already and Mel had half an hour left before one of the nurses told her to go home. She looked at Sophie, who was still as peaceful as ever, despite the loud whirring of her machines. Every day, Mel would talk to Sophie about what had went on in the day, but Mel couldn't quite bring herself to tell her about her meeting with Russ...

She held Sophie's hand as she flicked through a magazine aimlessly: still lost for words over what to say to Sophie. Even though she wasn't talking, Mel knew that her being there was helping Sophie - and herself - both physically and emotionally. Mel felt better already knowing that she was with Sophie - she even stopped feeling sick when she was around her...

"I see Amy Winehouse is in hospital again..." said Mel, reading aloud from the magazine. "They think she has some sort of heart condition..."

Mel looked up at Sophie. Still nothing. It was like performing infront of an empty stage, except Mel knew that deep down, Sophie was listening.

"At least I'm not as bad as Amy, eh?" said Mel, with a laugh, hoping Sophie would laugh too - even though she probably wouldn't have found it funny.

Suddenly the door opened and Mel turned her head. It was Russ, carrying a boquet of roses. Mel stared at him. He'd had a shave, cleaned himself up, put himself in a smart shirt and trousers and his hair had been cut...

"Hi..." smiled Russ.

Mel got up angrily from her chair. "What are you doing here?" she hissed quietly. "And how did you know to come at this time??"

"You said I could visit. I phoned the hospital and checked the visiting times." said Russ, and he gazed over at Sophie. "Any change?"

Mel sighed. "No. But that's not the point. You shouldn't be here!"

"Please, Mel." pleaded Russ, "I just wanted to see her."

Mel looked at Sophie and then back at Russ. "Alright. But I'm staying in the room. If she wakes up, I want to be here..."

Russ nodded and he pulled up an extra chair and held the flowers in his lap. He looked at Sophie, silently, as if he was mesmerized by her. Mel sat down on her chair next to him, watching him closely.

"Can I talk to her?" asked Russ, turning to Mel.

Mel nodded. "She can hear us, you know. But don't make her upset..."

Russ turned his attention back to Sophie. "Hi, Soph. How you doing?"

He looked at Sophie, hoping for some sort of response, but all that filled the room was the noise of her machines. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I'm not very good at this..." sighed Russ and he ran his hands through his shortened hair.

Mel sighed. "Just...talk to her like you normally would. She can't talk back, but just tell her stuff. Like what you've been up to."

"Okay..." said Russ and he took Sophie's delicate hand in his and he smiled at her.

"Soph..." he began, "I know you can hear me. So I just want to say I'm sorry, really. I'm sorry for not visiting more. I know I should have done, but...well you know me, I'm really useless when it comes to these things...But at least Mel's kept you company and I'm grateful for that..."

Mel gave Russ a small smile.

"But I just want you to know, that...I love you. And that I'll never stop loving you." said Russ, tears welling up in his eyes. "And that I'm sorry...for not telling you that sooner..."

Mel looked over at Russ and felt a stab of guilt hit her heart. She took his hand in hers and held it tightly. He looked at her and she looked at him back. It was the least she could do to make him feel better.

"She will wake up, Russ..." nodded Mel. "And when she does, you can tell her that for real..."

"But how do you know that?" asked Russ, his voice choked up with emotion.

"I just do..." smiled Mel. "Cause she's a fighter."

Russ and Mel looked at each other and then back at Sophie. Although they would never really see eye to eye, they had one thing in common: they both loved Sophie.

**Marie**

Marie knew she was drunk.

As she finished off her umpt-teenth glass of Jacob's Creek Chardonnay 1997, she felt her head go woozy with dizziness. Darren was sat beside her, sipping on his beer and he laughed as she put her glass down hard on the table, only for the bottom of the wine glass to come off...

"Whoopsadaisy..." hiccupped Marie.

"You are drunk..." laughed Darren.

"No, I am most definitely not, Mr. Osborne..." smiled Marie, putting on a best posh accent. "But we seem to have run out of wine..."

"That is because you have finished it, Miss Roberts..." smiled Darren, imitating her accent.

Marie picked up the wine bottle and tipped it upside down. "So it may seem..."

"Now, there is one game we must play when we are both as drunk as...we are" announced Darren.

"And that is?..." laughed Marie.

"The Truth Game!" smiled Darren and he added an evil laugh.

"Noooo!" protested Marie. "I HATE the Truth Game!"

"Oh come on..." pleaded Darren, "I am the Birthday Master, you must do as I say!"

Marie sighed and then looked back at Darren. "Alrighty..."

"Right..." smiled Darren. "Ok...My go...Where is the weirdest place you have had sex?"

Marie looked up to the ceiling and sighed. "I can't think..."

Darren laughed "Well, it's gotta be something other than a bed..."

Marie sighed again and racked her brains. "Okay then...in a car in the woods..."

"Went for a little outwood bound experience, did we?" smirked Darren. "Who with and where..."

"I'm not telling you that!" laughed Marie. "Now, it's my turn..."

"Do your worst!..." said Darren, waving his hands about.

"Okay..." said Marie, tapping her head. "Have you ever...kissed a guy?"

"Is that your worst?!" coughed Darren, as he sipped his beer.

"I don't know!" laughed Marie. "Have you?"

"My dear, I am a ladies man, not a lady boy..." said Darren, putting his arm around her. "I bat for one team..."

"I see. How very...masculine of you!"

"My turn..." smiled Darren. "Now...do you find me attractive?"

Marie began to laugh and she buried her head in her arms and laughed.

"I'm serious!" said Darren, looking at Marie.

Marie sat up and looked at Darren and placed a finger on his chest. You are very very...vexy..."

"Vexy?" frowned Darren.

"I meant to say sexy but it came out as vexy..." giggled Marie.

Darren put a finger under Marie's chin and lifted it up to study her face. "Well, you my dear, are very vexy too...but you are also very drunk..."

"I'm not drunk!" scoffed Marie, her speech slurred. "I've only had two glasses of wine...and some...Lambrini!"

"Are you sure that's two and not ten??" smiled Darren.

Marie ran two fingers up Darren's chest and looked at him. "So...what do Mr Osborne want for his birthday?"

Darren put down his beer. "Oooh, let me think...a Ferrari, a two week stay in Rio..."

"Anything else?" asked Marie.

He moved closer towards her so his breath tickled her face. "Well, there is something else. Which involves you, my dear."

"And what is that?..." smiled Marie, batting her eyelashes playfully.

He leaned in towards her and he kissed her firmly on the mouth. Taken aback, Marie opened her eyes. The beat of the music was pulsating through her and she couldn't remember the last time someone had kissed her like that. The alcohol washed over her senses and she closed her eyes and let herself relax and began to kiss him back. Before she knew it, his hands were wandering her body and trying to get up her dress. She moved his hand away, but before she could say anything, his hand began crawling from her leg, to her thigh, up to her waist, her chest...

_'This is going too fast...Way too fast...I don't think I'm ready...Where is his hand going? Oh no, please don't do that...I can't do this...' _

She broke away from the kiss.

"No no..." murmured Darren, kissing her neck. "Don't stop. I was enjoying that."

She looked up at him and sighed. "I've got to go..."

"Don't go. Come back with me to the Dog. I can think of something very fun we can do together..." as he caressed her arm

"You're right..." she smiled. "I am drunk. I need to sober up. And plus I'm starting work in the morning..."

She moved out of his clutch and she began gathering her things.

"So...let's be drunk together..." teased Darren.

Marie looked at him and she kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Darren...Thank-you for the company..."

Darren looked up at her as she stood up. "Well, can I see you again?"

Marie shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Maybe..."

She picked up her handbag and started to make her way down the stairs, but before she could do anything, her ankle gave way and she fell over, hitting her chin hard on the floor...

"Owww..." moaned Marie.

A few people knelt down to her and asked if she was okay. Marie slowly lifted herself up using her arms. Her ankle was in agony and her chin was red raw from hitting the floor. She felt someone lift her up off the ground...

"Come on..." came a voice.

She moaned in pain as someone lifted her up and began carrying her down the stairs of the Loft, whilst people watched.

She looked around as she saw herself going backwards. She could smell aftershave, so she knew it was a man who had picked her up.

"Darren, I'm okay..." she sighed, closing her eyes. "I don't need to be carried."

"I'm not Darren..." came the voice again.

"Oh?" she sighed and she looked behind her to see none other than OB carrying her out of the nightclub.

"Oh! OB! Ah, what are you doing here??" she smiled, peering round at his face as he carried her.

"I came to look for my wallet..." said OB, his voice stony somber. "So I came looking for Darren and I found you on the floor..."

"Oh..." nodded Marie. "It's ok...You can... put me down now..."

"No. I'm taking you home..." sighed OB and they were outside now and he was carrying her slowly down the steps of The Loft.

"On your valiant...stead?" giggled Marie with a hiccup.

"I'm taking you home before you do something you will seriously regret..." said OB, his voice bitter.

"I was having FUN!" sighed Marie. "You know? F-U-N! Dancing...and...drinking!"

They had finally got down the black iron-wrought steps and he put her back down on her feet. She looked at him as he knelt down on the floor and looked at her ankle. His face looked somber - not saying a word...

"How's your ankle?" he asked, touching it.

"It hurts..." she sighed.

"Can you walk?" he asked again.

Marie began to take a few steps forward, tottering in her black high-heeled shoes, but as she did, she yelled in pain as her ankle felt like it was on fire.

"I guess not, then..." sighed OB. "Put your arm over my shoulder..."

Marie did as she was told and he helped her hobble across the street, supporting her weight. They walked along for a good few minutes without saying anything to each other. Marie looked at him, his eyes looking straight forward, not even batting an eyelid at her...

"Why do you...hate me?" sighed Marie.

"If I hated you, Marie, you'd still be on the floor..." answered OB, bluntly.

"You know what you are?" said Marie, looking at him. "You are like...water. Very cold water. One minute, I think you're warming up, but still, you are icy cold...''

OB said nothing as they continued to walk.

"Where's Calvin?" he asked, ignoring her remark.

"Now, Calvin...is a very...very...lovely man." smiled Marie, her mind fuzzy. "Now, he is a...very...very important man. He is a hero. He rescues cats...from trees. How heroic is that?"

"Very..." replied OB, sarcastically. "And what a hero he is leaving you to get drunk in a club..."

"Excuse...me!" demanded Marie, "But I can look after myself!"

"Clearly..." said OB, rolling his eyes.

"But I must thank you anyway..." nodded Marie, her speech slurring. "You are a credit to... society...and to me. You know...I might just like you after all..."

He remained silent as they began to approach the city steps.

"I want...a Wee..." murmured Marie, groggily.

OB shook his head. "Right, I'm not taking you to the toilet..."

"No!" giggled Marie, "Not Wee. I mean Wii! The game console. You promised to teach me."

"So I did..." sighed OB.

"But now you don't like me... _again_!" retorted Marie.

"It's not that..." said OB, shaking his head.

"Then what?" asked Marie, as she stopped hobbling on one leg and she looked at him square in the eye. "What is it?"

OB looked at her, still saying nothing...

"Do you fancy me or something?? Is that why you're avoiding me?" laughed Marie.

He looked at her and then looked away again...

Marie looked at him and her eyes widened. "Oh...my god, you do!! I knew it!"

He sighed. "I never said that..."

She giggled. "Yes, you do! You have a crush on me! You want to _hug_ me...You want to _hold_ me...You want to _kiss _me..."

His face became angry and he held her square by the shoulders forcefully. "Why would I fancy you? Someone who deliberately gets drunk because they have nothing better to do in their life, acts dumb, drapes herself around someone who pays her the slightest bit of attention and tries to jump into bed with them because she thinks she's talented..."

He let go of her shoulders, leaving Marie shocked by his outburst. She stood still, not knowing what to say, but every word that he had said was now whizzing round her mind like a washing machine stuck on spin. It was as if he had slapped her hard in the face...

"Oh..." said Marie, not knowing what else to say.

He looked back at her, his face softening, but as he tried to come near her, she stepped away, looking back at him, with tears in her eyes...

"Marie..."

She felt her stomach tighten and she felt like she was going to be sick. She felt the sting of tears brimming to her eyes and she tried to force them back in again...

_'Don't cry, Marie. Don't give him the satisfaction...'_

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and she looked at him, fury rising up inside her. "Glad to know what you _finally _think..."

"I...I didn't mean it..." said OB and he tried to come near her again.

"Yeah, well. You said it. And do you know what? Think what you like, alright? 'Cause this was my first night out in ages and you know, I just wanted to have fun without having to sit around at home all the time, crying! And I was having fun. But it turns out, I was just kidding myself. As per usual. But ask yourself this. Why are you even hanging around me if you don't even like me? Hmm?"

OB stared at her, silent as she walked closer towards him, all the bitterness forcing its way out...

"That's the biggest riddle of all! Maybe its because you're a very sad man who has nothing better to do than follow me around like a lost puppy and then snarl at me because I don't give you a bloody bone!" She shouted, venomously. "I may be sad, but then that makes you even sadder if you choose to hang around me!..."

She was close to him now that she could see his face clearly.

"So, do me a favour and piss off home, alright? I don't need you around me! I didn't ask for you to take me home and to insult me! You're like poison! Cause you are nothing but an ugly, bad-tempered, moody, foul-mouthed loser!! So go home and do whatever it is you do...Go stalk some other girl!..."

He looked at her, his face ashamed and hurt. She sucked in her breath and fought hard not to cry.

He took one last look at her and started to head off in a different direction, leaving her behind at the bottom of the city steps...

Marie watched as she saw him disappear off into the night. She looked at the stairs infront of her and put her good foot in front of the other and onto the first step. She held on tightly to the stone as she dragged her bad ankle up the step, feeling the pain as she walked up each step. As she began to slowly walk up the step, she felt the tears escape from her eyes and drip down her face. She forced her ankle to get up each step and as the pain got worse, the more tears came tumbling down. By the time she had made it half-way up the steps, she was sobbing...

She carried on, moving slowly whilst trying to silence her tears. She finally made it up the top of the steps and tried not to fall back. She limped across to the front door of the Valentine's and she reached into her handbag for her key. She cried harder as she tried to find the key and as she found it, she pushed it in hard and opened the door and quickly let herself in...

She closed the door behind her and collapsed to the floor, crying. She buried her face in her knees and sobbed fat tears...

She cried over everything. Her life. The way she was. The way she acted...

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, mascara all over her hand. She stood up, holding onto the door handle as she lifted herself up. She hobbled across to the stairs and forced herself to walk the whole way up: ignoring the searing pain of her ankle.

She made her way into the bathroom and locked the door shut. She stared at herself in the mirror, turning her head away as she studied her image. She looked down at the floor and picked up her washbag and tipped it up, scattering the contents onto the floor...

She looked at herself in the mirror. She wiped her eyes again and sighed.

It was time to change...

**End of Chapter **

**A/N: Apologies again for my lateness! I made this one very long cause it was meant to be two chapters, but I rolled it into one! Please R+R! Thankyou! xxxxxxxx**


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